Managing the Innovation Process

Calendar

LEC #	Topics
1	Introduction and Overview
2-3	Origin of the Process This week we will examine innovation from a historical perspective, with particular focus on the hard disk drive industry.
4-5	Individual Contributions This week we will look at the role of individuals in the innovation process, with an emphasis on factors that stimulate innovators within organizations such as Procter & Gamble.
6-7	Technical Communication This week we will consider the importance of technical communication for innovation, including the consequences of insufficient communication in a medical instrument corporation.
8-9	Cross-Functionality This week we will explore the integration of different departments (e.g., engineering, marketing, manufacturing) to enhance innovation within organizations such as Rubbermaid.
10-11	Geographic Dispersion This week we will expose innovation barriers for organizations separated by space and time, including cultural challenges faced by companies like Unilever.
12-13	Intra-Organizational Networks This week we will investigate how social networks among individuals within organizations, for example high-tech firms, can positively impact information transfer and innovation.
14-15	Inter-Organizational Networks This week we will analyze how alliances, partnerships, and coalitions between organizations, such as NYPRO and Vistakon, can impact the innovation process.
16-17	Organizational Features This week we will examine how traditionally innovative organizations, such as Sun Microsystems, effectively manage the innovation process.
18-19	Organizational Learning This week we will explore how firms can learn to innovate by implementing effective management strategies, including ones used by 3M Corporation.
20-21	Market Changes This week we will look at how firms respond to major innovations in their industry, such as those experienced in biotechnology.
22	Industry Variability Speaker - Michael Meyer, Product Strategy Practice Leader, IDEO Boston
23-24	Standards, Patents, & Open Source This week we will consider how standards, patents, and the open source movement affect innovation for companies like CompuServe.
25	Course Wrap-up Final paper due