How to get ahead in an age of change. .

• Position: Book Review

Here's a question for all upwardly mobile employees: Do you want to be a contender in the 21st-century workplace? Sure you do! The problem is, you have plenty of competition, all vying for a few scarce jobs and for even scarcer promotions. Moreover, the marketplace is in such a constant state of flux that you don't know from one moment to the next what companies are looking for. So, how can you set yourself apart from the horde?

Stephen M. Shapiro, author of 24/7 Innovation: A Blueprint for Surviving and Thriving in an Age of Change, claims he has the answer. Innovativeness is the "Holy Grail" employers are seeking in today's increasingly chaotic and ever-changing business world, he maintains.

There are two basic types of employees, according to Shapiro: adapters and creative-types (also known as innovators). Adapters tend to focus on "doing things better," but prefer to work within the rules as they are. They represent the status quo and usually are the implementers in the company. Creative-types are more likely to "do things differently" and are prepared to break the rules or past traditions in order to solve problems. They more likely than not are the planners of new projects and processes.

Both types of employees are valuable. Every company needs implementers since they are the ones who often get the work done. Plus, the good news is, implementers also can be innovative. Everyone has that capacity, and the key is to get innovative people out of the backroom and to the frontline. Innovation is not invention, something to be fostered in a carefully controlled atmosphere. Invention is the process of discovering things that have never been known before.

Innovation is the discovery of new ways of creating value. Not everyone can be an inventor, but everyone can be innovative.

How can employees unleash their inner innovator? Here are a few of Shapiro's tips and suggestions:

* Focus on the "end game," not the daily to-do list. It is important to engage in macro-thinking, or focusing on outcomes and results rather than specific activities. When you understand how your work contributes to the whole, you are more likely to feel responsible for the results.

* Forget your comfort and embrace change. It is true that hardly anyone likes change. Most of us tend to live for the time when things "settle down" and return to normal. However, in today's work world, things never settle down! After all, you are not just innovating the end result; you are...