Innovation Studies

Created Feb. 7, 2024 by C4DLab University of Nairobi

Course Outline

1. Introduction to innovation

Upon successful completion of this unit the student will be able to;

  • Understand the concept of innovation
  • Know the difference between innovation and invention
  • Understand the reasons for innovation

2. Process of Innovation

Upon successful completion of this unit the student will be able to;

  • Know what the process of innovation entails
  • Know the steps involved in creative problem solving
  • Know how to build organizations for executing innovation

3. Idea generation

Upon successful completion of this unit the student will be able to;

  • Understand the discovery process for opportunities
  • Identify the people to be involved in the idea generation process
  • Know the methods for discovering opportunities

4. Developing innovative culture

Upon successful completion of this unit the student will be able to;

  • Know the organizational features that facilitate innovation
  • How organizations can learn from new information

5. Emerging innovation trends

Upon successful completion of this unit the student will be able to;

  • Know how users innovate
  • Understand  the factors that affect users intentions to innovate
  • Know how to leverage on users innovation

6. Disseminating innovation

Upon successful completion of this unit the student will be able to;

  • Know the attributes of innovations
  • Know the rate of innovation diffusion
  • Know the variables determining the rate of adoption of an innovation

7. Measuring and evaluation of innovation

Upon successful completion of this unit the student will be able to;

  • Know why measuring and evaluating innovations is important
  • Know the different types of evaluation
  • Know the process of evaluation

8. Innovation and intellectual property rights

Upon successful completion of this unit the student will be able to;

  • Know what free revealing of innovation is
  • Know how to protect their innovations

9. Innovation portfolio

Upon successful completion of this unit the student will be able to;

  • Know how to exploit innovation
  • Effective commercialization strategies
  • Know how to manage available resources for innovation

Introduction to Innovation


Definition of innovation

Just what is innovation? This unit examines the issues surrounding the concept of innovation. What is the difference between innovation and invention? How are organizations affected by innovation: are all of the outcomes positive? You will learn how to analyze this concept and its impact on resources, capabilities and competencies. 

Resources

http://www.open.edu/openlearn/money-management/management/technology-management/the-concept-innovation/content-section-1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDrMAzCHFUU&list=PLkgb8K1mt-yPbI0S0WgjRsbyWB5YBGSfH

http://ikonalex.com/avisionofleadership/innovate-contribution.html

Reasons for innovations

Innovation is a positive concept and, it appears, the rate of innovation continues to accelerate, led mostly by technology. The process is an example of positive feedback, in which the change is self-reinforcing: the development of technology itself increases the capacity for technological innovation, and raises the expectation of consumers for further innovation. While there seems little reason why this process of accelerating technological change should not continue for the foreseeable future, a counter-view argues that change for change's sake is not necessarily always desirable. This unit explores some reasons for innovation.

http://www.open.edu/openlearn/money-management/management/technology-management/the-concept-innovation/content-section-2

Process of innovation


How the process of invention and innovation works

Wherever invention occurs, whether with a lone inventor or in a creative team within an organization, there seem to be common factors involved. There have been many attempts over the past 100 years to explain the creative process that occurs while people are attempting to solve problems. This unit is going to combine ideas from two such models of the steps involved in creative problem solving or invention

Resources

http://www.open.edu/openlearn/science-maths-technology/engineering-and-technology/design-and-innovation/invention-and-innovation-introduction/content-section-11.1

http://oninnovation.com/videos/detail.aspx?video=2402&title=Process%20of%20Innovation#ooid=xwdDJsZjoMzT5hveOaSRDEgRAN3vHG8l

http://oninnovation.com/videos/detail.aspx?video=2173&title=Ford%27s%20Process%20of%20Innovation

http://oninnovation.com/videos/detail.aspx?video=2024&title=Process%20of%20Innovation

Building Organizations for Executing Innovations

This unit will give insights into organization design choices such as structure & incentives

http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/sloan-school-of-management/15-351-managing-innovation-and-entrepreneurship-spring-2008/lecture-notes/10_lec.pdf

Idea generation

This unit will explore the processes and methods for generating innovative ideas and how to identify opportunities for innovation.

Resource

http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/sloan-school-of-management/15-351-managing-innovation-and-entrepreneurship-spring-2008/lecture-notes/04_lec.pdf

Developing innovative culture

Organizational features

Innovation requires experimenting and prototyping, it relies on recognition of opportunities, innovation arises from knowledge creation in firm and innovation on a regular basis can prevent inertia

Resources

http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/sloan-school-of-management/15-351-managing-the-innovation-process-fall-2002/lecture-notes/lecture1617.pdf

Organizational learning

Innovation is often a product of absorptive capacity, innovation can result from efforts of lead users, innovation is closely tied to organizational learning and Innovation requires focus on window of opportunity

Resources

http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/sloan-school-of-management/15-351-managing-the-innovation-process-fall-2002/lecture-notes/lecture1819.pdf

http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/sloan-school-of-management/15-351-managing-innovation-and-entrepreneurship-spring-2008/lecture-notes/12_lec.pdf

Emerging innovation trends


Innovation by users

Many users innovate and many develop commercially valuable innovations. The “functional” source of innovation depends upon the functional relationship between innovator and innovation. This unit will evaluate user innovations.

Resources

http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/sloan-school-of-management/15-352-managing-innovation-emerging-trends-spring-2005/lecture-notes/many_lus_inno.pdf

http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/sloan-school-of-management/15-356-how-to-develop-breakthrough-products-and-services-spring-2012/lecture-videos/lecture-1-the-paradigm-shift-from-producer-to-user-innovation/

Innovate or buy

In this unit we will cover the major factors that affect users decisions to innovate or buy and what affects the kind of innovations that users develop in their low cost innovation niches.

Resources

http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/sloan-school-of-management/15-352-managing-innovation-emerging-trends-spring-2005/lecture-notes/innovate_or_buy.pdf

How manufacturers can leverage on user innovation

This unit will cover how the manufacturers can be able to identify lead users and how they can make money in a user centric world.

Resources

http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/sloan-school-of-management/15-352-managing-innovation-emerging-trends-spring-2005/lecture-notes/how_can_mfrs.pdf

http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/sloan-school-of-management/15-356-how-to-develop-breakthrough-products-and-services-spring-2012/lecture-videos/lecture-2-basing-new-commercial-products-on-lead-user-innovations/

http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/sloan-school-of-management/15-356-how-to-develop-breakthrough-products-and-services-spring-2012/lecture-videos/MIT15_356S12_lec02.pdf

Disseminating innovations

This unit will cover how innovations can be disseminated to the users. It explains the process of innovation diffusion.

Resources

 http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/special-programs/sp-723-d-lab-disseminating-innovations-for-the-common-good-spring-2007/lecture-notes/17.pdf

Measuring and evaluation of innovation

Its important to know the impact of an innovation after it has been developed. This unit will explore how to measure and evaluate an innovation by looking at an example of how to evaluate the impact of poverty programs.

Resources

http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/special-programs/sp-723-d-lab-disseminating-innovations-for-the-common-good-spring-2007/lecture-notes/18.pdf

Innovation and intellectual property rights

This unit will explore issues of intellectual property rights and patents

http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/sloan-school-of-management/15-352-managing-innovation-emerging-trends-spring-2005/lecture-notes/free_revealing.pdf

http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/sloan-school-of-management/15-351-managing-the-innovation-process-fall-2002/lecture-notes/lecture2324.pdf

9. Innovation Portfolio

Organizations do not have enough resources to implement all the innovations that arise, there is therefore a need to be able to manage the implementation of the available innovations.This unit will cover on how to organizations can manage their portfolios.

http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/sloan-school-of-management/15-351-managing-innovation-and-entrepreneurship-spring-2008/lecture-notes/18_lec.pdf

Assignments

http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/sloan-school-of-management/15-351-managing-innovation-and-entrepreneurship-spring-2008/assignments/group.pdf

Resource book

Democratizing innovation by Eric Von Hippel

Download: DemocInn.pdf


Reference(s)

Masachussetts Institute of Technology, Managing innovation and entrepreneurship

Masachussetts Institute of Technology, Managing innovation: Emerging trends

Masachussetts Institute of Technology, managing innovation process

The Open University, The concept of Innovation

OER Commons, OnInnovation

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