Technology and Innovation Management (GRAI022)

This course approaches the management of technological innovation from a resource/knowledge based view, which sees technological innovations as a driving force of competitive advantage of organizations through a combination of internal resources and external linkages. Students are introduced to the theories, models, tools and practical cases from industries by understanding what technological innovations are, why they are important, and what are needed to enable and manage technological innovations within and outside of the boundary of organizations. Although most attention will be paid to innovations made by industrial firms, relevant issues of innovations at levels of individual, team, network of organizations, and industry will be addressed as well. The weekly readings consist of a mixture of book chapters, journal articles, and cases.

The primary goal of the course is to expose students to a variety of perspectives on technological innovation, building on an active learning process and preparing for work experiences in the future.

• Understanding the phenomena of innovation. Define what innovation is and what different types of innovations are, and explain why innovation is important.
• Pinpoint the role of technology in innovation both in theory and in practice.
• To explain the key concepts of Schumpeterian theory and technology in relation to technological innovation.
• To be able to describe what are the key concepts of resource-based view and its relevance to innovation strategy.
• To be able to explain the key concepts of knowledge and learning and its relevance to innovation and the innovation process within an organization.
• To be able to explain the organizational implications, including decision making under uncertainty with regard to innovation and the open innovation perspective and how external resources are possibly expanded into a larger scope thanks to an open approach of innovation.
• To discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the theoretical perspectives form the course curriculum.