Technology and Innovation: Managing Disruptive Change

Bachelor 2021/2022

Type: Elective course (Business Administration)

Area of studies: Management

Delivered by: Department of Strategic and International Management

Where: Graduate School of Business

When: 4 year, 1 module

Mode of studies: distance learning

Online hours: 10

Open to: students of one campus

Instructors: Zeljko Tekic

Language: English

ECTS credits: 3

Contact hours: 20

Full Syllabus

Abstract

The rise of technologies such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, 3D printing and the Internet of Things accelerated our ability to experiment with business models, opening up new opportunities, in virtually every industry, for changing how value is created, delivered and captured. In other words, advanced technologies (dominantly digital, but others as well) combined with novel business models make fertile ground for disruption, intensifying competition and creating immense ambiguity and unease. Thus, successful management of technology and technological innovation is critical to the survival and competitiveness of emerging and existing organizations. To prepare students for this context, the Technology and Innovation: Managing Disruptive Change course covers the fundamentals of innovation management, aiming to help students understand the knowledge and skills required to manage innovation.

Learning Objectives

The course is designed to help students learn basic innovation management concepts – theories, frameworks and tools – and develop creativity. To achieve that, the course is conceptualized as a combination of lectures and interactive exercises. The course Technology and Innovation: Managing Disruptive Change is framed by the position-path-processes framework (developed by David Teece and colleagues as a part of the dynamic capabilities theory) and focuses on discussion, tools and tasks around three key elements of corporate innovation strategy: (1) competitive positions (current endowment of technology and intellectual property); (2) technological paths (the strategic alternatives available to the firm, and the attractiveness of the opportunities which lie ahead); and (3) organizational and managerial processes (the way innovation-related things are done in the firm, or what might be referred to as its ‘routines’, or patterns of current practice and learning).
Using a multidimensional approach, we show how product, process and organizational innovations can create and destroy markets as well as how innovation can be used to create and sustain a powerful competitive advantage and drive sustainable development. To produce a holistic view of innovation management within commercial organizations, the course examines innovation management from two different perspectives – from the perspective of high-growth potential firms (startups) and from the perspective of established (larger and medium) firms. Taking into consideration different perspectives and approaches, the course highlights the skills, tools and systems required to maintain innovation within different organizations and markets. The material covered in the course is research and theory-based, but the course is practice-oriented with much of the time spent on mini cases, ad-hoc challenges and project work, in order to equip students with knowledge, skills and attitudes involved in managing innovation at both strategic and operational levels.

Expected Learning Outcomes

Productively work in groups
Analyze and synthetize companies’ innovation strategies
Effectively communicate innovative initiatives in oral and in written form
Understand and analyze how companies profit from innovation
Understand and explain concept of disruption and its relationship to technology and business model
Understand and explain main value appropriation mechanisms
Understand basics of intellectual property rights
Understand, explain and apply fundamental innovation theories and concepts

Course Contents

What is innovation and why does it matter?
Innovation as a process and it models
The position-path-processes framework: building an Innovation Strategy
Managing technology for Innovation
Value appropriation mechanisms and IP rights
Business model and innovation
Disruptive innovation
How technology is commercialized
Technology entrepreneurship, startups and big companies

Assessment Elements

Innovation Management Project: Mid-term team presentation
Task 1: Form a team To be delivered: google form filled and teams formed Start: Thursday, Sep 09 Submission deadline: Monday, Sep 13, noon Value: Not submitting team on time will result in -1 engagement point for every hour of delay (for all team members) Task 2: Propose 5 innovative companies (team task) To be delivered: 6-slide presentation (title + one slide per company) Value: Not submitting presentation on time, or submitting it incomplete (less than 5 companies, no explanation why, not following the set rules) will result in -10% for the mid-term team presentation. If not submitted at all, net to penalties, the instructor will assign company to the team on his own. Start: Thursday, Sep 09 Submission deadline: Wednesday, Sep 15, 23:59 Task 3: Analyze the company -> Mid-term presentation To be delivered: Mid-term TEAM presentation (Sep 30; 10-12 slides / 6 minutes per team) The assessment criteria (see the meaning of the scale for full explanation later) • Comprehensiveness, coherence and quality of the analysis (including Q&A) (40%) • Collection and presentation of evidence from the research to justify arguments (including Q&A) (40%) • Technical and procedural excellence of presentation (20%) Value: 25 points Start: Thursday, Sep 16 Submission deadline: Thu, Sep 30, 11:00
Innovation Management Project: Individual final report
Task 4: Deep analysis of the company -> Individual report Building upon their team project, each student individually has a task, taking into consideration my feedback from the mid-term presentation, to do additional (and deeper) research and, based on it, write a report further deepening analysis and developing recommendations for future innovation strategy of the company his team focused on (in their team project presentation). Their recommendations should be based on strategic aspects discussed through path-position-processes framework. The students may consider that the purpose of the report is to convince top management of the pertinence of their strategic recommendations. Although presentation was teamwork and team members contributed to it equally, each student must write his individual report INDEPENDENTLY from other students (especially from their own team). Yes, students should use common work done in their team (and presentation produced) as a basis for the report, but each team member must put significant additional effort into research and writing to produce report with his/her own perspective. To be delivered: INDIVIDUAL report (Oct 18 / 3000 words) • Required length of the report: 3000 words (appendices may be added, but the 3000-word report should be self-explanatory without them) • Suggested structure of the report: o ~1500 words: In depth analysis of path, position and processes of the company (see questions and hints above, in the description of the Task 3). o ~500 words: brief overview of 3 future innovation strategies proposed in the mid-term presentation (on the last slide) o ~1000 words: In depth analysis of one selected strategy • Do not forget (this impacts on your points): o Introduction o Conclusion o References (very, very important)! The assessment criteria (see the meaning of the scale for full explanation later) • Comprehensiveness, coherence and quality of the analysis (40%) o Identification and characterization of key issues related to path, position and processes o Identification and characterization of the future company’s innovation strategy • Quality of the evidence presented in the report to justify arguments (40%) • Conceptual structure of report; quality of writing; construction and presentation of the report (20%) o Conceptual structure of report; depth of arguments; rigor & elegance of logic o Overall quality of writing, construction and presentation of document Value: 45 points • Reports must be submitted in MS Teams by Mon, Oct 18, 18:00. • Late submissions will be penalized with -5% points, per each 12 hours of delay. • Late submissions are not possible after Oct 20. Start: Thursday, Sep 30 Submission deadline: Mon, Oct 18, 18:00
Learning log
From day one of the course, you are asked to keep a learning log. What is a Learning Log? A Learning Log is a journal which evidences your own learning and skills development. It is not just a diary or record of “What you have done” but a record of what you have learnt, tried and critically reflected upon. For example, if in your Learning Log you include details of what you did or how you did something then consider asking yourself questions such as: • Did it go well? Why? What did you learn? • Did it go badly? Why? What did you learn? • How can you improve for next time? A Learning Log contains your record of your experiences, thoughts, feelings and reflections. One of the most important things it contains is your conclusions about how what you have learnt is relevant to you and how you will use the new information/knowledge/skill/technique in the future. Your learning log should encompasses reflections and evidence of all your leaning activities in this course – including the Coursera online course. Detailed guidelines how to “write” learning log will be provided in the MS Teams. This is individual activity. To be delivered: Learning log (free form, if written 1100-1200 words; can be a video or anything you want, but please consult with me in advance). The assessment criteria (see the meaning of the scale for full explanation later) • Depth and quality of thinking, arguments and reflections (40%) • Presentation of evidence about learning during the course (40%) • Conceptual structure of report; quality of writing; construction and presentation of the report (20%) Value: 15 points • Reports must be submitted in MS Teams by Mon, Oct 11, 23:59. • Late submissions will be penalized with -5% points, per each hour of delay. • Late submissions are not possible after Oct 13. Start: Thursday, Sep 09 Submission deadline: Thu, Oct 11, 23:59.
In-Class Discussions & Engagement
This class requires a high level of motivation and active participation in class. This is not simply lecture attendance, it is ENGAGEMENT and PARTICIPATION in the lectures, with deep preparation, timely and relevant comments and discussion, comments linked to the previous lectures, personal experience or other courses; opinion based on evidence, thinking, responding to the lecturer’s questions. To prepare for in-class discussion on Days 2, 3, 4 and 5, students will be required to prepare and submit their prediscussion notes (i.e., main take-aways from the required reading and videos, tasks, brief case analysis or data collection). Only students who submit their notes before the class and participate in the discussions are eligible for max number of points for their engagement in classes. Without attending classes students cannot achieve points. Next to preparing and submitting pre-discussion notes for a good participation grade the following must be done: • Active and voluntary participation in class discussions • Being able to address the readings critically during class, thus displaying a good understanding of the subject matter • Being analytical and concise in oral interventions, i.e. backing up arguments by facts and references rather than “feeling this or that” • Monopolising the floor with fluffy, unstructured and redundant monologues will NOT be seen as a positive contribution. When we have classes online, students must keep cameras on to qualify for these points Assessment is done by the course instructor during and immediately after each class. Maximum number of points for this activity is 15.

Interim Assessment

2021/2022 1st module
0.45 * Innovation Management Project: Individual final report + 0.25 * Innovation Management Project: Mid-term team presentation + 0.15 * Learning log + 0.15 * In-Class Discussions & Engagement

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

Christensen, C. M., RAYNOR, M., & MCDONALD, R. (2015). What Is Disruptive Innovation? Harvard Business Review, 93(12), 44–53.
Teece, D. J., Pisano, G., & Shuen, A. (1997). Dynamic Capabilities and Strategic Management. Strategic Management Journal (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.), 18(7), 509–533. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1097-0266(199708)18:7<509::AID-SMJ882>3.0.CO;2-Z
Tidd, J., Bessant, J. R., & Pavitt, K. (2012). Managing innovation : integrating technological, market and organizational change. Chichester [Etc.].
Tushman, M. L., & O’Reilly III, C. A. (1996). Ambidextrous Organizations: MANAGING EVOLUTIONARY AND REVOLUTIONARY CHANGE. California Management Review, 38(4), 8–30. https://doi.org/10.2307/41165852

Recommended Additional Bibliography

Blank, S. (2013). Why the Lean Start-Up Changes Everything. Harvard Business Review, 91(5), 63–72. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=bsu&AN=87039866
Chesbrough, H. W. (2003). The Era of Open Innovation. MIT Sloan Management Review, 44(3), 35–41.
Christensen, C. M. (2013). The Innovator’s Dilemma : When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail. Boston, Massachusetts: Harvard Business Review Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=nlebk&AN=675240
Jade Coston, Fifth Edition, & Everett M. Rogers. (2006). The Diffusion of Innovations. Http://Tactics.Fsu.Edu/Pdf/HandoutPDFs/TaCTICSHandouts/NaturalEnvironments/DEC_Poster.Pdf.
Roberts, E. B. (2007). Managing Invention and Innovation. Research Technology Management, 50(1), 35–54. https://doi.org/10.1080/08956308.2007.11657418

Authors

TEKIC ZELJKO -

Course Syllabus