BUSM4553 Innovation Management

Semester Semester 1, 2023

Title of Assignment

Reflective Piece

Name and Student ID Nguyen Hoang Lam -- S3891561

Location RMIT Vietnam (SGS Campus)

Class Group Innovation Management

Lecturer Todd Rogers

Word Count 1018

(Main content without list

of references, cover page,
etc.)
Introduction
At first, I was unprepared for this lecture series. The name of the class piqued my curiosity in the
curriculum, but I was concerned that it would be too academic and lack practical application,
particularly if the course was taught entirely via online workshops. But even from the start, my
outlook shifted drastically. As a student who benefited much from Mr. Todd's insightful, hands-
on teaching, I will always cherish the time I spent in this class. In this article, I will discuss my
time in this course, what I have gotten out of it so far, and how it has affected my way of
thinking.

Insightful seminars with far-reaching effects on my professional development and future

Learning about innovation for 12 weeks via a series of classes on creativity, innovation, and
design has dramatically altered my perspective. As well as coming from people, innovation may
also result from structural shifts inside institutions (West and Altink, 1996). Through the
training, it taught me that innovation and creativity are not only limited to the individual and
group levels but rather affect the whole business. I had no idea there were so many varieties of
innovation until I started learning about innovative products, innovation in organizations, process
innovation, service innovation, marketing innovation, etc. It's possible to innovate on several
fronts, each of which may have far-reaching consequences.

Almost all of my classes at RMIT required group projects, but the Innovation Management
course was particularly heavy on group assignments. I'm excited to meet new people in class,
work on projects together, and improve my academic performance. Additionally, the group's
beliefs frequently astound me because they are so dissimilar from mine I can't help but wonder
where they came from. The ability to work together in the future is crucial, and we may build
this talent by sharing and discussing our thoughts. I found the videos very helpful, but I also
found the supplementary readings and activities on practical knowledge and case studies to be
engaging and instructive. There were a wide variety of activities, such as group discussions to
define a model, thinking like an innovation consultancy, etc.

It seemed to me that I might have done better on the first assignment (the individual exercise) if I
had made a concerted effort to tie all of my conversations more explicitly to a wider variety of
theories, ideas, and tools from the course to support my own position. Still, I appreciate the
input, Dr. Aemin Nasir. Since I know that being able to think critically and do research
effectively will be crucial for my future professional success, I want to make an effort to
organize my thoughts and read widely on relevant topics.

The group project initially caught me off guard because I had anticipated that the extensive
exercise would require a lot of planning time, and I was concerned that I wouldn't have enough
of either. Despite my skepticism, the collaborative project was completed in under four weeks,
with each obstacle being solved in successive stages. At first, it was hard for me to home in on
the problem and choose a specific area to address. Taking things easy and asking for guidance
from teachers may make the process much more bearable. We were asked to create a basic
outline of the topic in advance and to learn and apply knowledge in a sequential fashion so that
we could complete our group project. An interesting result of this exercise is a well-formed,
thorough, and readable paper that may be put to practical use.

When I first started thinking about evaluating solutions, I had a hard time simply coming up with
a set of criteria. My goals for solutions used to be more abstract, but with the aid of the build,
measure, and learn cycle, I was able to translate them into measurable assumptions. This made it
much easier to conduct experiments to determine the solution's attractiveness, practicality, and
viability. After one's ideas and solutions have been implemented, the difficulty is convincing
others of their merit (Tkachuk and Yurush, 2012). The problem seemed to have vanished after
the session on proposing ideas. Due to the organized and informative nature of the class, we were
able to complete our group activity in manageable chunks. We've created a tool to help
companies boost the morale of their staff. Even with its shortcomings, it's wonderful to see the
product develop from an intriguing idea to a finished, marketable item week after week. I really
like the freedom of expression our lecturers provide. Learning design thinking and how to
effectively express ideas is essential for making a thing a reality. Thanks to this technique, I was
able to overcome my shyness and feel comfortable giving presentations.

This course has provided me with a thorough basis in innovation management and familiarity
with current tools. There is a strong correlation between innovation, creativity, and design, and a
business's long-term success. Class discussions, tests, required readings, and individual study
have all contributed to my growth as a learner, allowing me to refine a wide range of skills, from
critical thinking to research to problem solving, and beyond. In addition, I gained knowledge of
theories, models, innovation processes, problem identification, solution evaluation, and more
from this course, all of which can be used reasonably and flexibly to many business situations. I
have gained a deeper appreciation for the value of collaboration as a result of this course.
Learning that collective efforts provide better results than solo efforts aroused my interest in
teamwork throughout this course. The knowledge and experience I obtained in the Innovation
Management course will help me realize my goal of being a great manager and provide the
groundwork for me to create a vibrant innovation organization.

Conclusion
This rigorous 12-week course has completely changed my preconceived notions about
innovation and creativity as well as my skepticism of this particular course. Whether working
alone or in a team, my performance improves considerably when I make use of my soft skills,
especially my creative ones. I feel that I've gained a lot of valuable knowledge that will serve me
well not just in school but also in my future life and career.

Reference

West, M. A., and Altink, W. M. (1996) ‘Innovation at work: Individual, group, organizational,
and socio-historical perspectives’, European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology,
5(1): 3-11.
Tkachuk, А. А., and Yurush, Y. V. (2012) Idea pitching as a skill of effective communication,
Polessky State University.