Faculty
Anders Paarup Nielsen

Course Coordinator
Anders Paarup Nielsen

No specific requirements – however the students are required to have basic knowledge of organizational theory

During the course students will be introduced to a number of models and approaches to innovation management within established companies. The course will also focus on the key challenges involved in managing innovation within established companies – also known as Intrapreneurship. Special emphasis will be given to the managerial challenge of handling key dilemmas regarding innovation management, e.g., balancing the organizational processes of exploration and exploitation within the company.

The course will include topics such as:

o The innovation process

o Managing the innovation process

o Commercializing innovations

o Different types of innovation and their implications for businesses

o Knowledge management and innovation

o Strategic management of innovation

o User driven innovation

o Innovation in a globalized and networked world

o Innovation in Services

Each of these topics will shed light on different aspects of and challenges involved in managing innovation.

This course will complement the mandatory BSc courses by addressing two different issues. Firstly, the course will focus on the concrete managerial tasks, processes, and challenges in connection with the management of innovation – primarily adopting a micro-perspective on the management of innovation. Secondly, the course will in some situations seek to challenge and discuss the dominant rational and analytical management models being taught in many mandatory BSc courses. The management of innovation will in some situations require that the rational methods for analysis are supplemented by other means in order to deal with the high levels of uncertainty characterising the earliest phases in the life-cycle of an innovation.

Finally, the course will also incorporate discussions and reflections on the methodological challenges and problems involved in studying innovation management. During the course it will be attempted to encourage discussion of the foundations of innovation management as a scientific discipline which combines insights from many different scientific disciplines.

The primary teaching method is based on lectures combined with and followed by guided classroom discussions, group discussions followed by student presentations and case discussions. Cases will be used throughout the course. Furthermore, the course will include a few guest speakers with practical experiences in managing innovation.

During the course students are expected to develop the ability to critically analyze and discuss different theoretical models, approaches and concepts in connection with innovation management within established companies. Students should also know how to apply models, approaches and concepts when analyzing problems and challenges involved in managing the innovation process within established companies. Students should furthermore develop an ability to reflect on the theoretical and methodological challenges associated with a multi-disciplinary field such as innovation management.

Furthermore, the aim of the course is to enable the students to understand, analyze and improve innovation management processes and innovation management in established companies. The students should also be able to discuss and reflect on the theories, models and concepts from the course. This reflection should focus on two different issues. Firstly the students should be able to reflect on the applicability and practical value of the concepts, theories and models. Secondly, the students should also be able to identify and discuss the possible connections and synergies between the different theories, models, and concepts.

The high grade (12) in the exam will be characterized by fulfilment of the following criteria

o The student demonstrates a high level of command of the syllabus.

o The student Is able to apply theories, models, and concepts from the syllabus in a systematic and thorough manner when analyzing and discussing problems and cases

o The student is able to analyze a problem or case from the field of innovation management using multiple perspectives

o The Student is able to analyze a case or problem in a comprehensive manner by combining different theories, concepts and model from syllabus.

o The student is able to discuss and reflect on the applied theories, models, and concepts in a structured and comprehensive manner

4-hour closed book. PC-exam. Grading according to the 7-point scale

The literature-base of the course will consist of a mix between selected chapters from books and textbooks on innovation management and scientific papers. The book chapters will be assembled in a compendium. The scientific papers should be downloaded electronically though the databases at the library.

Examples of texts in the curriculum can be found the list below. The list does not represent the complete curriculum for the course:

Selected chapters from:

Bessant, J. & Tidd, J (2007); Innovation and Entrepreneurship, John Wiley & Sons,

Christensen, C.M., Anthony, S.D. & Roth, E.A (2004). Seeing What’s Next – Using the Theories of Innovation to Predict Industry Change, Harvard Business School Press.

Dodgson, M., Gann, D. & Salter, A. (2005). Think, Play, Do; Technology, Innovation, and Organization, Oxford University Press.

Hargadon, A. (2003): How Breakthroughs Happen; The Surprising Truth About How Companies Innovate, Harvard Business School Press

Tidd, Joe, John Bessant and Keith Pavitt (2005): Managing innovation, integrating technological, market and organizational change, 3. ed. John Wiley and Sons Ltd, Chichester

Van de Ven. A.H., Polley, D.E., Garud, R. & Venkataraman, S. (1999): The Innovation Journey, Oxford University Press

Scientific papers:

Berry, L.L., Shankar, V., Parish, J.T., Cadwallader, S. & Dotzel, J. (2006); Creating New Markets Through Service Innovation, Sloan Management Review, Winter 2006, pp.: 56-63

Christensen, C.M.; Kaufman, S.P. & Shih, W.C. (2008): Innovation Killers: How Financial Tools Destroy Your Capacity to Do New Things, Harvard Business Review, January 2008, pp. 98-105.

Day, G.S. & Schoemaker P.J.H. (2008): Are You a “Vigilant Leader”, MIT Sloan Management Review, vol. 49, no. 3, pp. 43-51

Drejer, A. (2002): Situations for innovation management: Towards a contingency model. European Journal of Innovation Management, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 4-17

Kim, W.C. & Mauborgne, R. (2005); Blue Ocean Strategy: From Theory to Practice, California Management Review, Spring 2005, Vol. 47.No.3. pp 105-121.

Thomke, S. & von Hippel, E. (2002); Customers as Innovators – A new way to create value, Harvard Business Review, April 2002, pp.: 74-81

Sharma, A. (1999); Central Dilemmas of Managing Innovation in Large Firms, California Management Review, Vol. 41 No. 3 (Spring 1999), pp. 146-164

Von Zedtwitz, M., Gassmann, O. & Boutellier, R. (2004); Organizing Global R&D: Challenges and Dilemmas, Journal of International Management, Vol. 10, No. 1, pp.: 21-49