ABSTRACT
Physician leaders who serve as pioneers champions of change, advocates for the adoption of new innovations, are experts in anticipating future implications of present realities, and guiding the discovery, invention, dissemination, and acceptance of new drugs and devices, new practices and procedures. Many physicians, in fact many people in general, find rapid change unsettling and sometimes quite stressful. But disequilibrium can also be a good thing. As explained in Christensen's book The Innovator's Dilemma (1997), disequilibrium can be a necessary catalyst for positive improvements to come about. There is a critical need for leaders whom physicians can relate to, and who can help those physicians past their resistance to change by painting a compelling step-by-step path towards a better, more rewarding system of care. Physician leaders whose abilities and interests draw them to serve as pioneers of innovation often devote their attention toward the development and use of information technology in healthcare.
