This course aims to provide students with an insight into what it means to innovate with Information Technology. IT is a highly dynamic and complex field. Successful entrepreneurs and managers in IT driven companies need to have an excellent grasp of the fast moving product environment in which they operate. They need to be aware of the latest technologies emerging, which constantly shift their competitive environment. For legal reasons as well as effective cost management they need to be very well aware of the intellectual property landscape relevant for their businesses; in particular copyright issues and patents. In the constant hunt for ideas, new product development procedures need to be embraced, including the harvesting of crowd wisdom or other forms of distributed innovation. Corporate processes and strategies need to be aligned with the fast moving external forces they face while taking account of their internal capabilities. Finally, it is essential that IT leaders act wisely in the challenging environment that surrounds them. They need to take sustainable and ethical IT investment decisions that can create long-term stakeholder value. This course gives students guidance on how to approach the challenge.

After attending this course, students will:

•    know what innovations are and what challenges accompany their success

•    know about how innovations are successfully managed in firms

•    know how to reflect on the ethical dimensions of IT innovations

•    know about how open innovation tools and user innovation can be leveraged for innovation management

•    have an insight into the factors drive and impede dominant IT designs

•    have an insight into patenting and copyright issues surrounding IT innovations in particular

In addition, this course fosters the following soft skills:

•    conceptual thinking

•    value-based thinking

The course is a combination of lectures, in-class student assignments, presentations, discussions and homework.

Six course units will give students a theoretical introduction to innovation management:

1. On Progress, Values and IT Innovation

2. IT Innovation Management

3. Wise IT Leadership

4. IT Innovation as a Corporate Process

5. IT Business Case Planning

6. Regulatory Challenges of IT Innovation

Each class gives ample room for discussion of practical cases. A mix of materials is used, including videos and case studies.

1.    Homework 1: 25%

2.    Homework 2: 25%

3.    Final Exam: 50%

4.    Not attending class: Minus 10% on the grade for each class missed

Admission to the master’s programme in Information Systems is required.

Qualified exchange students are explicitly invited to this course which benefits from a diverse and international atmosphere.