Insegnamento a.a. 2023-2024

Industry Dynamics of Technological Innovation

• Sources of innovation
• Types and patterns of innovation
• S-curves and diffusion of innovation
• Network effects and platform markets
   

Technology commercialization strategy and protection

• Profiting from innovation
• Protecting innovation through Patents
• Other intellectual property tools: trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets

Managing the innovation process

• Organizing for innovation
• Selecting innovation projects
• Managing the R&D portfolio
• Managing the new product development process
• Managing new product development teams

• Master the core concepts and ideas concerning innovation strategy and management.
• Learn about project selection, collaboration strategies, and strategies for protecting the firm’s intellectual property.
• Understand the role of organizational structure and new product development teams.
• Improve oral and written communication and decision making.

• Interpret the technological environment and identify meaningful trends.
• Make decisions about innovation and technology and communicate them effectively.
• Craft a firm’s strategic direction and formulating its innovation strategy.
• Understand how a firm’s organizational structure affects its ability to innovate and to profit from innovation.

• Face-to-face lectures
• Case studies /Incidents (traditional, online)
• Group assignments
• Interactive class activities on campus/online (role playing, business game, simulation, online forum, instant polls)

• Group assignments: Students work in groups to resolve business problems relating to innovation and technology.
• Idea development and presentation: Teams work together to create original ideas that they then present to the class.
• Instant polls: these polls are used to collect responses on a variety of issues as well as for students to evaluate the ideas of other teams.
• Online quizzes: these tests are designed to quickly evaluate the learning process.

The students' assessment is based on two components:

• Written exam with open-ended and multiple-choice questions (graded over 31). The open-ended questions aim to assess how well the students can apply the techniques discussed in the course to examine choices and situations where innovation is a key factor. The purpose of the multiple-choice questions is to test the student's proficiency with the course's fundamental concepts.
• Group assignments  assess the students' ability to analyze complex situations where innovation plays a crucial role.

The students' assessment is based on:

• Written exam with open-ended and multiple-choice questions (graded over 31). The open-ended questions aim to assess how well the students can apply the techniques discussed in the course to examine choices and situations where innovation is a key factor. The purpose of the multiple-choice questions is to test the student's proficiency with the course's fundamental concepts.

At the beginning of the semester, articles covering the subjects of each session will be posted on the course reserve.

Slide set from the instructors and the business cases for the assignments will be uploaded during the course on the blackboard e-learning platform.

1. Part one: Industry Dynamics of Technological Innovation:
   • Sources of innovation
   • Types and patterns of innovation.
   • S-curves and diffusion of innovation.
   • Network effects and platform markets.
2. Part two: Technology Commercialization Strategy and Protection:
   • Profiting from innovation.
   • Protecting innovation through Patents.
   • Trademarks, Copyrights and Trade Secrets.
3. Part three: Managing the Innovation Process:
   • Selecting Innovation Projects.
   • Managing the R&D portfolio.
   • Organizing for innovation.
   • Managing new product development teams.
   • Managing the new product development process.

• Master the core concepts and ideas concerning innovation.
• Learn about project selection, collaboration strategies, and strategies for protecting the firm’s intellectual property.
• Understand the role of organizational structure and new product development teams.
• Improve oral and written communication and decision making.

• Interpret the technological environment and identify meaningful trends.
• Make decisions about innovation and technology and communicate them effectively.
• Craft a firm’s strategic direction and formulating its innovation strategy.
• Understand how a firm’s organizational structure affects its ability to innovate and to profit from innovation.

• Lezioni frontali
• Analisi casi studio / Incidents guidati (tradizionali, multimediali)
• Lavori/Assignment di gruppo
• Altre attivita' d'aula interattive on campus/online (role playing, business game, simulation, online forum, instant polls)

• Case studies: the class collectively analyzes a relevant case that the instructor has distributed upfront.
• Group assignments: students work in team to solve some business cases related to innovation and technology.
• Idea presentation: teams work in developing innovative ideas and present them in class.
• Instant polls: students are asked to assess ideas of other teams, also used for gathering responses on different topics.
• Online quizzes: for a quick assessment of the learning process.

The students' assessment is based on three components:

1. Written exam (graded over 31), consisting of open and multiple-choice questions. The open questions are aimed to assess the students' ability to use the tools illustrated during the course to analyze decisions and contexts where innovation plays a crucial role. The multiple-choice questions are aimed to assess the students' effort to learn and master the main concepts of the course.
2. Group assignments (extra points) aimed to assess the students' ability to analyze complex situations where innovation plays a crucial role.
3. Class participation (extra points).

The students' assessment is based on:

• Written exam (graded over 31), consisting of open and multiple-choice questions. The open questions are aimed to assess the students' ability to use the tools illustrated during the course to analyze decisions and contexts where innovation plays a crucial role. The multiple-choice questions are aimed to assess the students' effort to learn and master the main concepts of the course.  

Melissa Schilling. Strategic Management of Technological Innovation. 6th Edition. McGraw Hill. 2020.

IMPORTANT: Acquiring the textbook is not required. We will follow it during the course, but slides, cases and readings are sufficient for preparing for the final exam. This material will be available on B-B.

Industry Dynamics of Technological Innovation:

• Sources of innovation
• Types and patterns of innovation.
• S-curves and diffusion of innovation.
• Standards battles.

Technology Commercialization Strategy and Protection:

• Profiting from innovation.
• Protecting innovation through Patents.
• Trademarks, Copyrights and Trade Secrets.

Managing the Innovation Process:

• Selecting Innovation Projects.
• Managing the R&D portfolio.
• Organizing for innovation.
• Managing new product development teams.
• Managing the new product development process.

• Develop a comprehensive understanding of the fundamental concepts and principles related to innovation strategy and management.
• Acquire knowledge about project selection, collaboration strategies, and methods for safeguarding the firm's intellectual property.
• Gain insights into how organizational structure influences innovation management and the functioning of new product development teams.
• Enhance oral and written communication skills and improve decision-making abilities.

• Interpreting the technological environment and identifying meaningful trends for making informed decisions about innovation and technology.
• Crafting a firm's strategic direction and innovation strategy, understanding its goals, capabilities, and competitive landscape.
• Understangin how organizational structure impacts the organization's ability to innovate and profit from innovation.
• Develop an effective communication of innovation and technology decisions, though clear and concise articulation of the rationale, impact, and addressing concerns.

• Face-to-face lectures
• Case studies /Incidents (traditional, online)
• Group assignments
• Interactive class activities on campus/online (role playing, business game, simulation, online forum, instant polls)

• Group assignments: Students work in groups to resolve business problems relating to innovation and technology.
• Idea development and presentation: Teams work together to create original ideas that they then present to the class.
• Instant polls: these polls are used to collect responses on a variety of issues as well as for students to evaluate the ideas of other teams.
• Online quizzes: these tests are designed to quickly evaluate the learning process.

The students' assessment is based on two components:

• Written exam with open-ended and multiple-choice questions (graded over 31). The open-ended questions aim to assess how well the students can apply the techniques discussed in the course to examine choices and situations where innovation is a key factor. The purpose of the multiple-choice questions is to test the student's proficiency with the course's fundamental concepts.
• Group assignments  assess the students' ability to analyze complex situations where innovation plays a crucial role.

The students' assessment is based on:

• Written exam with open-ended and multiple-choice questions (graded over 31). The open-ended questions aim to assess how well the students can apply the techniques discussed in the course to examine choices and situations where innovation is a key factor. The purpose of the multiple-choice questions is to test the student's proficiency with the course's fundamental concepts.

TEXTBOOK: Melissa Schilling. Strategic Management of Technological Innovation. 6th Edition. McGraw Hill. 2020. This textbook covers the background material. Acquiring the textbook is NOT required. There is an e-book version accesible from the library.

SLIDES, CASES, READINGS, ARTICLES are crucial for preparing for the final exam. This material will be available on B-B.