A84256 Innovation Management

The students will be able to identify challenges and opportunities of innovation management and to develop an innovation strategy, understanding the use of systematic processes to manage disruptive innovation of the world's most successful businesses. Through practical insights they will learn how to continuously innovate in the core business of a company and, exploring the latest innovation waves and open innovation frameworks, they will be able to drive innovation effectively within an established organisation as well as a growing venture.

Students will develop an ability to design innovation strategies that can successfully take advantage of innovation opportunities. They will also learn how to evaluate different options, formulate and develop strategy and assess and resolve managerial challenges.

This course is aimed at providing students with knowledge and tools related to technology strategy and innovation management in corporations for:

• evaluating decisions concerning the strategy, management and organisation of innovation process and research and development activities;
• analysing the innovation process, identifying risks and opportunities, designing organisational and managerial solutions;
• managing the new product development process and teams.

This course introduces fundamental concepts in innovation management, from documented patterns on how industries face waves of technological change, to the distinctive dynamics of specific innovative opportunities (as sustainable innovation). The main objective of the course is to link these concepts to the assessment of managerial decisions.
After the introduction, the course addresses the innovation and technology management of the corporations, in order to identify key decision in R&D (research and development) strategy:

• Main models of innovation
• Managerial strategies to shape innovative performance
• Tools of innovation management to map and measure innovative activities
• Organisational structures for R&D

Lectures discussions will include critical analysis of the evidence behind the concepts covered. Illustrations of the applicability of concepts to management of innovation in high-tech as well as mature markets will be offered.

The course will be delivered through lectures, videos, class discussion and case-based exercises, and field trip.
Students will be expected to complete the required reading of the case before the lectures and to engage in debates and other exchanges related to the topics of each session. The teaching philosophy is based on "active learning" whereby students are active participants in the learning process and create their own experiences through independent and interactive inquiry and analysis.

Attending students

Assessment will be based on group report (50%), written test (30%), and attendance (20%).

In the group report, students will be asked to deliver a 10 pages report presenting a company, the context and its technological innovation project. The report should identify:

• Brief presentation of the company and its innovation project
  • The innovation
  • Sources of innovation
  • Type and patterns of the innovation
  • Timing
• The company, the context and the strategy
  • Intelligence
  • Corporate strategy
• The innovation management
  • Management of R&D
  • Collaborations
  • Protection of the technology

The written test will be based on the course material and students will be required to answer a set of 2 short open questions, and 1 case study. If the exam will be in distance, the written exam is replaced by an oral exam while the group report is not modified.

Non-attending students

Assessment will be based on individual report (60%) and written test (40%).

For the individual report, the guidelines are the same as for attending students.

The written test will be based on the course material and students will be required to answer a set of 3 open questions, and 2 case studies. If the exam will be in distance, the written exam is replaced by an oral exam while the individual report is not modified.