Report

The training “Innovation Management” is composed of 8 modules.

Module 1: Basic Innovation Management Concepts

I understand the meaning of innovation and innovation management. Also, I learnt to identify and
differentiate between various types of innovation. As a result, I became acquainted with basic
terminology that will help me to better process and understand the course content of the following
weeks.

Module 2: The adoption lifecycle and innovation adoption at the individual level

I learnt to understand how innovations diffuse in society. I am able to describe the adoption life
cycle and discriminate between the various adopter groups. I also learnt what it takes for someone
to adopt something new. Altogether, I gained a better understanding of what determines whether
and how fast people adopt innovations.

Module 3: What is creativity and how can it be enhanced

In a knowledge-based and innovation-driven business environment, creativity is an essential

capability if an organization is to gain a sustainable competitive advantage. All innovations begin with
creative ideas, and creativity is also needed during the entire innovation process. So, it is imminent
that employees in any job and at any level of the organization can contribute to innovation with
creative ideas. This module comprises of four instruction videos, one interview with a creativity
consultant, and two assignments. After this module I understand what creativity is and how I, other
people and groups become more creative: crucial knowledge for any manager that wants to excel in
innovation!

Module 4: Principals, types and challenges of idea management

Organizations receive many new ideas from employees, suppliers, and customers. But they often do
not realize the innovative potential of these ideas because they fail to properly manage them. By
studying this module and doing the associated exercises, I understand the basic principles of idea
management. I am able to differentiate between three types of idea management programs, and
learn about their different characteristics, advantages and disadvantages. In addition, I learn about
two general challenges that many idea management programs face: how to motivate people to
continuously submit ideas and how to improve the quality of ideas. A better understanding of the
principles, differences, and challenges of idea management will help me design appropriate idea
management programs that turn new ideas into successful innovations.

Module 5: Crafting an innovation strategy in an ever-changing world

Innovating is no longer a choice, but a business imperative. This imperative demands a clear strategic
direction for the innovation activities. This week will introduce the central challenges and available
solutions to develop and execute an innovation strategy. In addition, I studied the typologies and
evolution of change in the business environment, and discussed tools that can help me make sense
of business environments. An important element in this module is that the change does not always
occur independent of the firms, but firms are both subjects and agents of change. In particular I
discussed how firms can shape their environment through disruptive innovations.
Module 6: How to translate your strategy to project portfolio plan

This module is about portfolio management, which covers how to implement an innovation strategy.
It introduces the concept of the funnel. It shows two alternative funnels, reactive and proactive, and
we explain the differences. I explored three practical examples of the proactive process: Ericsson,
Lego and Philips. Next, I elaborated on an important consideration in portfolio management, which
is protecting intellectual property. Finally, I learnt two specific tools that I can use in portfolio
management. The first is a financial tool, the real options method, and the second one is the
planning tool called ‘road mapping’.

Module 7: How to execute innovation project

By studying the materials of this module and doing the associated exercise I learnt how innovation
projects can be managed. I understood and described the different elements of stage-gate models.
Also, I familiarized myself with the concepts of experimentation and enlightened experimentation
within the context of innovation project management. As a result, I am equipped with an
understanding of the peculiarities of innovation projects, and how companies deal with these
peculiarities.

Module 8:Teams, social networks and innovation

The module consists of four videos that will help me develop conceptual and practical knowledge on
these topics. After a brief introduction of what teams and social networks are – and of what they are
not – I learnt how these every-day concepts relate to innovation in organizations. I explored key
concepts about teams and networks, and became more aware of how you can generate and transmit
innovation in my work activity.