Man­aging In­nov­a­tion in Or­gan­iz­a­tions

Course content

The purpose of the course is to introduce students to the foundations of innovation theory, located at the intersection of technology, organization and marketing issues. Building on this foundation, the course will also address the ‘future’ of innovation theory and practice, specifically exploring the role of new technologies in enabling new forms of innovation organizing. In addressing these issues, students are invited to reflect on the ambiguity and uncertainty that necessarily surrounds development and introduction of innovations, and on the ethical dilemmas thus brought about.

Through the course, we will progress from basic understandings of the societal role of innovation via questions of innovation strategy to the micro-level dynamics of how innovation both shapes and is shaped by organizations. The course aims to provide a repertoire of concepts and theoretical understandings allowing the student to conceptualize innovation-related issues and to reflect on these in a theoretically informed manner. Ideas covered are drawn from economic history, organization theory, innovation economics and marketing theory and include:

• Creative Destruction
• The Productivity Dilemma
• Exploration and exploitation
• Technology s-curves, technology cycles, technology interdependence
• Different forms of innovation, including disruptive innovation, foundational technologies and architectural innovation
• Different forms of ambidexterity
• Diffusion of innovations, especially within high-tech
• First-mover advantage and disadvantage
• Product category emergence
• User innovation
• Crowdsourcing
• Substitution, complementarities and economic adjustment

The course also aims to strengthen the students’ ability to express these ideas in oral and especially written form, and trains the ability to engage with ideas expressed in various scholarly and applied forms. This will be done through dedicated lessons on writing technique and practice, in-class discussion and take-home exercises. An inherent part of this is the ability to both account for and critique theoretical positions and their practical implications.