Applied Innovation for Technical Professionals - 595.793

“Fail fast”, “crowdfunding”, “agile”, “open innovation”—the nature of innovation is radically changing in the 21st century. How can technical professionals thrive amidst the new models, tools and processes that are creating faster cycles of disruption? This course will address challenges faced by technical managers in creating and sustaining innovation across a wide range of organizations and environments: from government labs to Fortune 1,000 companies to small businesses and startups. Students will learn the many issues involved in turning creative ideas into a product or service and how to gain support for projects, demonstrate value of the innovation, scale to a profitable venture, and sustain the innovation through successive competitive life cycles. Students will also learn about the challenges and techniques for sustaining innovative cultures in large organizations and how to foster “intrepreneurship”—the concept of creating innovations within the processes and cultures of an already established organization. Case studies and interviews with experienced senior managers will provide students with the latest real-world insights. Course Note(s): The weekly seminar-type presentations/discussions are attended via web meeting. Please refer to the course schedule for updated information.