Personal capital and virtual selves: Learning to manage the five “divides”

Invention arises from creativity, while innovation arises from invention. Innovation is not the last step in this sequence; innovations must be implemented through small and large changes in organizational practices before they can become operationally successful. The comparatively higher frequency and wider distribution of this process defines an innovation society and its economy. This article proposes a focus on the individual as the first beneficiary of preparatory and on‐the‐job‐services to help evolve innovation societies for coping with five major “divides” currently driving the unequal distribution of global opportunity. To this end, the article proposes developing personal capital through role evolution, rehearsal, and assessment processes supported by “virtual” selves.