About the Course
This course is intended for people seeking to improve their ability to manage creativity, innovation and change. Using an “innovation constraints”framework that draws on social science research and on insights from business practice, participants will learn how to best manage people (be they co-workers, bosses, customers, clients, friends or any other stakeholders) when innovation is the goal. While we will discuss numerous examples of technological innovation, this is not a “management of technology” course; rather, this is a course focused on understanding and managing people engaged in creation, innovation and positive change, regardless of the context.
We will treat innovation as the process of generating, assessing, and then implementing useful and valuable ideas. As you may suspect, generating ideas is relatively easy; what can be hard is getting those ideas listened to, accepted, and implemented in organizations. In addition to learning how to lead creative people and creative teams, participants will also learn techniques for improving their own creativity. During the course participants will engage numerous activities and exercises intended to bring current habits of thought and behavior to the surface for examination and change.
Upon successful completion of the course participants will understand how to:
- manage and participate in teams pursuing innovative ends
- diagnose innovation failures at the individual, group, and organizational levels
- brainstorm ideas and approaches to solutions for all types of problems
- innovate a product, process, or service for a local client
- develop an innovation strategy
About the Instructor(s)
David A. Owens is Professor of the Practice of Management and Innovation at Vanderbilt’s Graduate School of Management, where he also directs the Executive Development Institute. Specializing in innovation and new product development, he is known as a dynamic speaker and is the recipient of numerous teaching awards. He provides education and consulting services for a wide range of clients around the world, and his work has been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, London Guardian and San Jose Mercury News, as well as on NPR’s Marketplace.
Owens has consulted for NASA, The Smithsonian, Nissan, Gibson Music, Alcatel, Tetra Pak, Cisco, LEGO, The Henry Ford Museum and many other organizations. He has done product design work for well-known firms including Daimler Benz, Apple, Dell, Corning, Steelcase while working at IDEO Product Development. He also served as CEO of Griffin Technology, a large consumer electronics firm in the iPhone/iPad/iPod accessory market.
Owens earned his PhD in management science and engineering through a joint fellowship program between Stanford’s Graduate School of Business and its School of Engineering. He holds an MS in engineering product design from the d.school at Stanford and is a registered professional electrical engineer (PE). In his current work, Owens focuses on concrete strategies for creating positive change in all types of organizations. His book “Creative People Must Be Stopped! Six Ways We Stop Innovation (Without Even Trying)” was published by Jossey-Bass Wiley in 2012.
Book Synopsis Video: Creative People Must Be Stopped!
Course Syllabus
This animated video describes the basic issues addressed by the course.
Recommended Background
Ideally, participants will have had work experience in some type of organization. Management experience is a plus, but is not required.
Suggested Readings
While I will provide pointers to additional readings for each class module, I recommend (but do not require) that that students refer to the book "Creative People Must Be Stopped!" which was written specifically for this course.
Course Format
The class modules will consist of assigned readings and lecture videos. Each module will have also have individual assignments and team deliverables for those working for an advanced certificate.
FAQ
- Can you really teach people how to be creative and innovative?This course does not try teach people how to be creative. Rather, it teaches us how to stop stopping it. If we can do that, a person's natural creativity will easily bloom.
- What are the course requirements and deliverables?
- See next question.
- Will I get a certificate for completing the class?The short answer is yes. Read on for the long answer:In recognition that all participants will not have the same goals or time to invest, the course is offered at three levels of engagement. Each level will receive a different acknowledgement for completing the course.
- Level 1: Statement of Completion
Basic Familiarity Requirements Include:- Watching Weekly Video Lecture
- Reading Weekly Assigned Reading
- Completion of Weekly Quizzes based on Readings and Lectures
- Completion of Weekly Online Diagnostic Assessments
- Level 2: Statement of Proficiency
Advanced Proficiency Requirements Include:- All Basic Proficiency Requirements Above, plus
- Completion of Individual Exercises
- Participation in Assessments of Peers’ Work
- Active Participation in Online Innovation Community
- Level 3: Certificate of Studio Mastery
Mastery Requirements include: Basic and Advanced Proficiency Requirements, plus: - Completion of an Individual or Team-Based Innovation Project in Local Organization or Community
- Providing Innovation Project Peer Assessment and Feedback to Others in the Course
- Participants must commit to a level of participation at the start of the course.
- What is the format of the class?The class will consist of lecture videos, assigned readings, and exercises. There will also be individual assignments and team assignments for those taking the advanced levels of the course
- How do the teams work (given that this is an online class)?
To meet the learning objectives of the course, participants will be encouraged to work in teams of two-to-five persons as they complete the course project assignment. You are strongly encouraged to recruit other local participants to take the course at the same time as you. - What if I don't have a team? How can I find a team to join?
If you cannot find someone to take the course with you, you can post to the class website in order to recruit other team members. However, you will not be able to start on the assigned group exercises and project deliverables until you have formed and registered your team. - Do I need to watch the lectures live?
No. You can watch the lectures at your own convenience. - How much does it cost to take the course?
The course is free. When assigned, readings will be available through links on the internet. See above for information on the recommended (but not required) textbook. - How can I learn more about the course?
This course is based on the popular Innovation Strategy class at the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University. To get a sense of how the course works, please check out the VU Course Student Blog, the IdeaScale Site we use for managing ideas and projects, and the recommended textbook that was written for the course. Finally, this animated video describes the basic intellectual framework of the course.
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