Innovation for Leaders and Organizations

This course will focus on understanding innovation—how it is defined, how it is practiced, and how real organizations harness its power to stay ahead of the competition. The course is aimed at individuals who want to be innovators or entrepreneurs and/or those who want to join organizations where they will lead innovative teams. While the study of innovation is a lifelong pursuit, this course aims to build a solid foundation upon which students can build throughout their career.

The course is organized into three main units. The first unit of the course focuses on defining innovation, and examines frameworks to categorize innovations. The second unit delves into the process of innovation, and investigates how innovation happens in real organizations. The third and final unit focuses on how innovators actually make it happen in the real world. The modules of this unit focus on both the tactical (what are the ways a new venture can be financed?) and the theoretical (what leadership skills are required of an innovator?). The course ends with the evaluation of a real-world business plan and puts the student in the shoes of the decision maker charged with deciding the fate of that plan.