Course Description & Learning Objectives

Ralph Waldo Emerson is credited with the oft-quoted remark on innovation, “Build a better mousetrap, and the world will beat a path to your door.” Unfortunately, many organizations realize, after putting significant effort and money into the creation of a new “mousetrap,” that success is neither guaranteed nor immediate. As Henry Chesbrough put it, “[I]nnovation means invention implemented and taken to market” (Chesbrough, H. W., Harvard Business School Publishing Corporation 2003, p. ix). This four-week course leads participants through many of the problems companies face when identifying innovative products and bringing them to market. Drawing on years of industrial experience and extensive literature search, the instructor will lead the class through topics such as:

• The various theories of innovation put forth by some of the best thinkers of the 21st century
• How the best-run organizations have developed sustainable and systematic approaches to innovation
• A roadmap for innovation, and an introduction to many of the specific tools of innovation
• Ways to identify innovators hidden inside your organization
• Approaches for overcoming obstacles to innovation and for driving a cultural transformation that unleashes your innovation potential
• The link between innovation and other approaches to problem solving such as Lean Six Sigma
• Case studies of innovative products that failed to gain market acceptance, and why

Course Assessments

This course has a “pass/fail” format.

In order to determine if the participant has sufficient command of the materials and has met the learning objectives, assessments will be given at the completion of each week’s online class (e.g., lectures, slides, and other materials). In the event the participant does not pass any of the weekly assessments, he or she will have an opportunity to review the material and retake the assessment until a passing grade is achieved.

Week 4 is designed to provide a review of all the materials from the previous three weeks. The audio-video review presentation will connect the theory, instruction, and the learning objectives to the questions posed by participants. After the review session, participants will complete a final assessment.

Course Schedule

Week #	Session	Time (hrs)	Topic
Week 1	1	1.0	Innovation Definitions Product Innovation Process Innovation Intellectual Capital
	2	1.0	Innovation Theories Open versus Closed Innovation Disruptive Innovation The Resources Processes Values(RPV) Theory of Innovation The Value Chain Evolution (VCE) Theory of Innovation
	3	1.0	Measuring Innovation in an Organization Assessing the Current State and Gaps in Your Organization's Current Approach to Innovation Quantitative Measurements versus Qualitative Measurements Innovation Quotient
	4	0.5	Assessment: Week 1quiz
Week 2	5	1.0	Innovation Model Techniques for Breakthrough Organizing for Innovation Managing Innovation
	6	1.0	Ideation and Brainstorming and Developing a Culture of Execution
	7	1.0	Techniques for Accelerating Innovation Gain New Tools for Ideation, Selection, Prioritization, and Implementation that Will Ensure Your Success at Every Phase
	8	0.5	Assessment: Week 2 quiz
Week 3	9	1.0	How to Leverage the Power of Open Innovation Methods for Building Innovative Capability Using the Power of the Market
	10	1.0	E-Innovation Using the Internet to Unleash Innovation Social Media and Harnessing Intellectual Capital
	11	1.0	Where Is the Innovation in the Organization?
	12	0.5	Assessment: Week 3quiz
Week 4	13	1.5	Course Review: Audiovisual review session
	14	0.5	Final Assessment: Week 4 final assessment
Total:		12.5