Introductory description

This module enables aspiring entrepreneurs to critically assess the approaches designed to facilitate innovation in various organizational and managerial contexts, including startup and pre-startup. Participants will learn new concepts to critically evaluate the potential for innovation in corporations and start-ups. There is an emphasis on disruptive technology, its advent and how it has the potential for radical industrial transformation. Participants will learn the tools and methods to design new value propositions with disruptive potential using toolkits optimized for customer jobs-based thinking.

The module will also draw on approaches that facilitate innovation management and its critical alignment with strategy in order to deliver measurable commercial gains. The concepts and models within innovation 2.0 methodologies will be explained, allowing participants with business startup aspirations to critically analyse leading-edge approaches in hi-tech research commercialization, intellectual property management, ideation and building innovation cultures.

Upon completion, participants will be able to deploy innovative thinking tools which will support set strategic objectives, scope the impact of new competitive pressures and identify new disruptive opportunities for their startups. Along with an engagement with the various innovation bodies-of-knowledge, toolskits, management techniques and case studies, there is a robust emphasis on application of learning through pedagogic innovation, a Lego Mindstorms-based workshop and an online industry standard innovation and strategy simulation. These methods help in the augmentation and contextualization of learning on the topic and add a vocational dimension to the teaching and learning strategies adopted for the module.

Module aims

Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

• Innovation 2.0 with new and digital media
• Entrepreneurial effectuation
• New technologies and public sector innovation
• Disruptive innovation and 'jobs-to-be-done'
• Intellectual property management with Stage Gates
• Practising creativity with new toolkits
• Innovation "Escape Room" Challenge
• Innovation commercialization with Lego Mindstorms and innovation & strategy with StratSim Management

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

• Evaluate the role of innovation and teamwork within a fast-paced new venturing context
• Systematically analyse the impact of disruptive innovation on the performance of a selected industries
• Assess the key tools and techniques for delivering innovation within a business start-up or corporate venturing context
• Apply practical innovation management skills as a part of a team

Indicative reading list

Ahmad, A.J., Bhatt, P. & Acton, I. (2019). Entrepreneurship in Developing Countries: For Business & Non-Business Students. Sage Publishers.

Christensen, C. M. (1997). The Innovator's Dilemma. Harvard Business Review Press.

Moore, G. A. (1991). Crossing the Chasm. HarperBusiness.

Thiel, P., & Masters, B. (2014). Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future. Crown Business.

Ries, E. (2011). The Lean Startup: How Today’s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses. Crown Business.

Christensen, C. M., Raynor, M. E., & others. (2011). Disruptive Innovation: The Christensen Collection (The Innovator's Dilemma, The Innovator's Solution, The Innovator's DNA, and Harvard Business Review articles). Harvard Business Review Press.

Parker, G. G., Van Alstyne, M. W., & Choudary, S. P. (2016). Platform Revolution: How Networked Markets Are Transforming the Economy—and How to Make Them Work for You. W. W. Norton & Company.

Brynjolfsson, E., & McAfee, A. (2014). The Second Machine Age: Work, Progress, and Prosperity in a Time of Brilliant Technologies. W. W. Norton & Company.

Johnson, W. (2015). Disrupt Yourself: Putting the Power of Disruptive Innovation to Work. Harvard Business Review Press.

Ismail, S., Malone, M. S., & van Geest, Y. (2014). Exponential Organizations: Why new organizations are ten times better, faster, and cheaper than yours (and what to do about it). Diversion Books.

Kelley, T., & Littman, J. (2001). The Art of Innovation: Lessons in Creativity from IDEO, America's Leading Design Firm. Crown Business.

View reading list on Talis Aspire

Interdisciplinary

Synthesis of ideas from different disciplines to design and evaluate innovation options across a variety of industries and in a business start-up scenario..

International

Consider and factor-in differences in markets, legal environments, social and cultural norms and their impact on the design and delivery of the outputs of a process of innovation enacted either my large corporation or a new business.

Subject specific skills

• Innovation management
• Using the disruptive innovation and jobs-to-be-done toolset
• Intellectual property commercialisation strategies
• Integrating web 2.0 and new and digital media into new product, service or process development
• Entrepreneurial heuristics
• Using creativity toolkits

Transferable skills

Presentation and business pitching, critical thinking and evaluation, user research, team work, professionalism, problem solving, ethical values, digital literacy and communication.