Innovation Roles

EPS6603 Innovation Roles
1.5 Credits (MSAEL Core)It's no secret that disruptive innovation is extremely challenging for large mature companies. In this short course we'll examine one crucial reason for the lack of progress in companies toward building a capability for breakthrough innovation, and that is talent management.

Companies rely on champions to break rules in order to make breakthroughs happen. But for every champion that made it, scores of others saw fantastic opportunity for their companies but couldn't execute on it effectively. This course considers a different approach. The argument we'll make is that innovation must become a business function in its own right, with its own management system, capabilities and expertise. In order to make that happen, innovation roles need to be defined and instituted, so that when a champion cannot get it done alone, a team of innovation experts is there to make sure the breakthrough doesn't get buried. A framework of innovation roles is developed, along with selection, development and retention practices. A self-diagnostic tool is offered for students to assess their fit with various roles within Strategic Innovation.