Management > Leadership > Managing the Innovation Process

Managing the Innovation Process posted by duggu on 11/29/2007

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Course Highlights

Managing the Innovation Process features a comprehensive set of assignments, lecture notes and readings. Professor Cummings has structured the course to facilitate student participation at multiple levels through group case analyses and an online forum for discussion of weekly readings. In addition, the course Web site is enhanced/modified throughout the term based on weekly feedback from students.

Course Description

This course approaches "managing the innovation process" through five levels of analysis: individual, team, network, organizational, and industrial. At each level of analysis, particular attention is given to the conditions under which innovation processes succeed and fail. The weekly readings consist of a mixture of book chapters, journal articles, and cases, and an online forum will be used for further discussion of the required readings outside of class. Tuesday classes will begin with a reflection exercise that entails critical thinking about the topic for the week, followed by an activity and lecture introducing material found both within and outside of the readings. Thursday classes will begin with a case analysis completed in small groups, followed by a discussion based on the issues raised in the case and online forum. The primary goal of the course is to expose students to a variety of perspectives on innovation, while building on past work experiences and preparing for work experiences in the future.

Syllabus

Class Participation

Each student will be expected to come to class prepared to actively participate in discussions. In particular, the reflection exercise will be collected as a measure of participation and as a way for the instructor to get to know each student.

Online Forum

An online forum has been set up on the course Web site to facilitate discussion of the required readings outside of class. Before the first class session each week, students will post one thought-provoking question to each required reading (2 posts per student). Before the second class session each week, student will reply to one post for each required reading (2 posts per student). Thus, students should contribute 4 messages each week.

Case Analysis

Once a week, 3-4 person groups (assigned by the instructor each week) will be responsible for completing an in-class case analysis. The analysis should integrate previous experiences and materials from required readings, activities, and lectures. In fairness to other group members, students should read the case thoroughly before coming to class.

Book Review

Each student will choose one book from the list of suggested books (or another one approved by the instructor) and complete a 3-5 page book review. Book reviews should apply concepts learned in class to the ideas presented in the book.

Final Paper

The final 10-15 page paper will give students the chance to more closely examine a weekly topic from the course. A list of supplemental readings is provided and the paper should include citations from the selected week. The final paper may take one of three forms:

Case Study - illustrate how experiences in a company relate to one of the weekly topics
Critical Essay - write an analytical assessment of one of the weekly topics
Research Report - empirically investigate an idea related to one of the weekly topics

Grading

Class Participation - 15%
Online Forum - 15%
Case Analysis - 40%
Book Review - 10%
Final Paper - 20%

Innovation Points

To encourage regular feedback and the ongoing integration of new ideas into the course, students will receive an "innovation point" for each suggested innovation that is implemented during the semester. Course innovations can include novel improvements to the online forum, exposure to unique web resources, and original activities for fostering classroom interaction. The key to a successful innovation is that, at a minimum, it benefits all students in the class. Innovation points accumulated throughout the semester will be applied to the Final Paper. For example, if you received an 88/100 on the Final Paper, and earned 2 innovation points during the semester, then your grade would be bumped up to a 90/100. In addition, you will be recognized in front of your peers for making an innovative contribution to the course. Happy innovating!

Calendar


	LEC #				TOPICS


	1				Introduction and Overview


	2-3				Origin of the Process This week we will examine innovation from a historical perspective, with particular focus on the hard disk drive industry.


	4-5				Individual Contributions This week we will look at the role of individuals in the innovation process, with an emphasis on factors that stimulate innovators within organizations such as Procter & Gamble.


	6-7				Technical Communication This week we will consider the importance of technical communication for innovation, including the consequences of insufficient communication in a medical instrument corporation.


	8-9				Cross-Functionality This week we will explore the integration of different departments (e.g., engineering, marketing, manufacturing) to enhance innovation within organizations such as Rubbermaid.


	10-11				Geographic Dispersion This week we will expose innovation barriers for organizations separated by space and time, including cultural challenges faced by companies like Unilever.


	12-13				Intra-Organizational Networks This week we will investigate how social networks among individuals within organizations, for example high-tech firms, can positively impact information transfer and innovation.


	14-15				Inter-Organizational Networks This week we will analyze how alliances, partnerships, and coalitions between organizations, such as NYPRO and Vistakon, can impact the innovation process.


	16-17				Organizational Features This week we will examine how traditionally innovative organizations, such as Sun Microsystems, effectively manage the innovation process.


	18-19				Organizational Learning This week we will explore how firms can learn to innovate by implementing effective management strategies, including ones used by 3M Corporation.


	20-21				Market Changes This week we will look at how firms respond to major innovations in their industry, such as those experienced in biotechnology.


	22				Industry Variability Speaker - Michael Meyer, Product Strategy Practice Leader, IDEO Boston


	23-24				Standards, Patents, & Open Source This week we will consider how standards, patents, and the open source movement affect innovation for companies like CompuServe.


	25				Course Wrap-up Final paper due

Further Reading:


LEC #	TOPICS	REQUIRED READINGS	SUPPLEMENTAL READINGS


1	Introduction and Overview	No readings for this lecture.


2-3	Origin of the Process	Required Readings - Christensen, C. The innovator's dilemma. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press. Chapter 1: How can great firms fail? Insights from the hard disk drive industry, 1997, pp. 3-32. Morison, E. Gunfire at sea: A case study of innovation, Men, machines, and modern times. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1966, pp. 17-44. Case Analysis - Plus Development Corporation (A) (HBS case 9-687-001)	Hounshell, D. From the American system to mass production, 1800-1932. Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1984, Introduction, pp. 1-13. Mowery, D., and Rosenberg, N. Paths of innovation: Technological change in 20th century America. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press, 1998, Introduction, pp. 1-10. Tedlow, R. Giants of enterprise: seven business innovators and the empires they built, 2001. New York: HarperBusiness, Introduction: The big picture, pp. 1-10.


4-5	Individual Contributions	Required Readings - Amabile, T. "A model of creativity and innovation in organizations." In Research in Organizational Behavior. Edited by B. Staw & L. Cummings. Greenwich, CT: JAI Press, 1988, Vol. 10, pp. 123-167. Roberts, E., and Fusfeld, A. "Staffing the innovative technology-based organization." Sloan Management Review 19-34 (1981). Case Analysis - Corporate New Ventures at Procter & Gamble (HBS case 9-897-088)	Kelley, R., and Caplan, J. "How Bell Labs creates star performers." Harvard Business Review 71(4) (1993): pp. 128-139. Nemeth, C. "Managing innovation: When less is more." California Management Review 40(1) (1997): pp. 59-74. Shapero, A. "Managing creative professionals." Research-Technology Management, March-April 23-28, 1985.


6-7	Technical Communication	Required Readings - Allen, T. Managing the flow of technology . Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Chapter 3: The communication system in technology: An overview, 1977, pp. 35-57. Tushman, M. Special boundary roles in the innovation process. Administrative Science Quarterly, 22,1977, 587-605. Case Analysis - The Medtek Corporation (HBS case 9-400-024)	Ebadi, Y., & Utterback, J. The effects of communication on technological innovation. Management Science, 30(5), 1984, 572-585. Pelz, D., & Andrews, F. Scientists in organizations: Productive climates for research and development. New York: Wiley. Chapter 3: Communication, 1966, pp. 35-53. Sosa, M., Eppinger, S., Pich, M., McKendrick, D., Stout, S. Factors that influence technical communication in distributed product development: An empirical study in the telecommunications industry. IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, 49(1), 45-58, 2002.


8-9	Cross-Functionality	Required Readings Clark, K., & Wheelwright, S. Organizing and leading "heavyweight" development teams. California Management Review, 34(3), 1992, 9-28. Dougherty, D. Interpretive barriers to successful product innovation in large firms. Organization Science, 3(2), 1992, 179-202. Case Analysis - Business Teams at Rubbermaid, Inc. (HBS case 9-897-165)	Ancona, D., & Caldwell, D. Demography and design: Predictors of new product team performance. Organization Science, 3(3),1992, 321-341. Eisenhardt, K., & Tabrizi, B. Accelerating adaptive processes: Product innovation in the global computer industry. Administrative Science Quarterly, 40(1), 1995, 84-110. Griffin, A, and J. Hauser. Patterns of communication among marketing, engineering, and manufacturing --a comparison between two new product teams. Management Science, 38(3), (1992): 360-373


10-11	Geographic Dispersion	Required Readings - Cramton, C. Finding common ground in dispersed collaboration. Organizational Dynamics 30(4), (2003): pp. 356-367. Lipnack, J, and J. Stamps. "Chapter 1: Why virtual teams? The new way to work." In Virtual teams: Reaching across space, time, and organizations with technology. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1997, pp. 1-24. Case Analysis - Unilever's Butter-Beater: Innovation for Global Diversity (HBS case 9-698-017)	Armstrong, D., and P. Cole."Managing distances and differences in geographically distributed work groups." In Diversity in work teams. Edited by S. Jackson, and Ruderman M. Washington D.C: American Psychological Association, 1995, pp. 187-215. Carmel, E. "Chapter 1: Why we are seeing more global software teams." In Global software teams: Collaborating across borders and time zones. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall PTR., 1999, pp. 3-23. O'Hara-Devereaux M, and R. Johansen. "Chapter 1: Introduction: Fault lines in the new global business landscape." In GlobalWork: Bridging distance, culture, and time. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1994, pp. 1-31.


12-13	Intra-Organizational Networks	Required Readings - Burt, R. "Chapter 1: The social structure of competition." In Structural holes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1992, pp. 8-49. Krackhardt, D., and J. Hanson. "Informal networks: The company behind the chart." In Harvard Business Review. (July-August, 1993): pp. 104-113. Case Analysis - Digital Equipment Corporation: The Kodak Outsourcing Agreement (A) (HBS case 9-191-039)	Constant, D., L. Sproull and S. Kiesler. "The kindness of strangers: The usefulness of electronic weak ties for technical advice." Organization Science 7(2), (1996): 119-135. Gargiulo, M., and M. Benassi. "Trapped in your own net? Network cohesion, structural holes, and the adaptation of social capital." Organization Scienc, 11(2), (2000): pp. 183-196. Rogers, E. "Chapter 1: Elements of diffusion." In The diffusion of innovations. New York: Free Press., 1995, pp. 1-37.


14-15	Inter-Organizational Networks	Required Readings - Wolpert, J. "Breaking out of the innovation box." Harvard Business Review, (August, 2003): pp. 76-83. Hargadon, A. "Firms as knowledge brokers: Lessons in pursuing continuous innovation." California Management Review 40(3), (1998): 209-227. Case Analysis - Molding the Impossible: The NYPRO/Vistakon Disposable Contact Lens Project (HBS case 9-694-062)	Ahuja, G. "Collaboration networks, structural holes, and innovation: A longitudinal study." Administrative Science Quarterly 45(3), (2000): pp. 425-455. Powell W., K. Koput and L. Smith-Doerr. "Interorganizational collaboration and the locus of innovation: Networks of learning in biotechnology." Administrative Science Quarterly 41(1), (1996): pp. 116-145. Stuart, T. "Network positions and propensities to collaborate: An investigation of strategic alliance formation in a high-technology industry." Administrative Science Quarterly 43(3), (1998): pp. 668-698.


16-17	Organizational Features	Required Readings - Leonard-Barton, D. "Chapter 5: Experimenting and prototyping." In Wellsprings of knowledge. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press, 1995, pp. 111-134. O'Connor, G., and M. Rice. "Opportunity recognition and breakthrough innovation in large established firms." California Management Review 43(2), (2001): pp. 95-116. Case Analysis - Sun Microsystems, Inc. (A) (HBS case 9-686-133)	Markides, C. "Strategic innovation." Sloan Management Review, 38(3), (1997): 9-23. Nonaka, I., and H. Takeuchi. "Chapter 1: Introduction to knowledge in organizations." In The knowledge-creating company. New York: Oxford University Press, 1995, pp. 3-19. Tushman, M., and C. O'Reilly. "Chapter 1: The tyranny of success." In Winning through innovation. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press, 1997, pp. 1-15.


18-19	Organizational Learning	Required Readings - Cohen, W, and D. Levinthal. "Absorptive capacity: A new perspective on learning and innovation." Administrative Science Quarterly 35, 128-152. (1990): pp. 128-142. von Hippel, E. "Chapter 8: Predicting the source of innovation: Lead users." In The sources of innovation. New York: Oxford University Press, 1988, pp. 102-122. Case Analysis - Innovation at 3M Corp. (A) (HBS case 9-699-012)	Argote, L. "Chapter 1: Organizational learning curves: An overview." In Organizational learning: Creating, retaining, and transferring knowledge. Boston, MA: Kluwer Academic, 1999, pp. 1-34. Brown, J., and Duguid, P. "Organizational learning and communities-of-practice: Toward a unified view of working, learning, and innovation." Organization Science 2(1), (1991): pp. 40-57. Tyre, M., and W. Orlikowski. "Exploiting opportunities for technological improvement in organizations." Sloan Management Review, 35(1), (1993): pp. 13-26.


20-21	Market Changes	Required Readings - Henderson, R., & Clark, K. "Architectural innovation: The reconfiguration of existing product technologies and the failure of established firms." Administrative Science Quarterly 35, (1990): pp. 9-30. Utterback, J. "Chapter 7: Invasion of a stable business by radical innovation." In Mastering the dynamics of innovation. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press, 1994, pp. 145-166. Case Analysis - Monsanto Co.: The Coming of Age of Biotechnology (HBS case 9-596-034)	Anderson, P., and M. Tushman. "Managing through cycles of technological change." Research-Technology Management. (May-June, 1991): pp. 26-31. Christensen, C. "Exploring the limits of the technology S-curve. Part I: Component technologies." Production and Operations Management, 1(4), (1992): pp. 334-357. Foster, R. "Chapter 4: The S-curve: A new forecasting tool." In Innovation: The attacker's advantage. New York: Summit Books, 1986, pp. 89-111.


22	Industry Variability	Speaker - Michael Meyer, Product Strategy Practice Leader, IDEO Boston. Case Analysis - no case analysis this week


23-24	Standards, Patents, & Open Source	Required Readings - David, P. "Clio and the economics of QWERTY." American Economic Review, 75, (1985): pp. 332-337. Raymond, E. The cathedral and the bazaar. Cambridge, MA: O'Reilly & Associates, 1999. Case Analysis - Outrage in Cyberspace: CompuServe and the GIF Patent (HBS case 9-296-057)	Shapiro, C., and Varian, H. "Chapter 9: Waging a standards war." In Information Rules: A strategic guide to the network economy. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press, 1999, pp. 261-296. Teece, D. "Capturing value from technological innovation: Integration, strategic partnering, and licensing decisions." In Technology and Global Industry. Edited by B. Guile & H. Brooks. Washington, D.C: National Academy Press. 1987, pp. 65-95. von Hippel, E. "Innovation by user communities: Learning from open-source software." Sloan Management Review, 42(4), (2001): pp. 82-86.


25	Course Wrap-up	No readings for this lecture.

Study Materials

SUGGESTED BOOKS

Argote, L. Organizational learning: Creating, retaining, and transferring knowledge. Boston, MA: Kluwer Academic, 1999.

Brooks, F. The mythical man month. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1995.

Buderi, R. Engines of tomorrow: How the world's best companies are using their research labs to win the future. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2000.

Burt, R. Structural holes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1992.

Carmel, E. Global software teams: Collaborating across borders and time zones. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall PTR, 1999.

Christensen, C. The innovator's dilemma. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press, 1997.

Clark, K., and T. Fujimoto. Product development performance: Strategy, organization, and management in the world auto industry. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press, 1991.

Gawer, A., and M. Cusumano. Platform leadership: How Intel, Microsoft, and Cisco drive industry innovation. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press, 2002.

Foster, R. Innovation: The attacker's advantage. New York: Summit Books, 1986.

Freeman, C., and L. Soete. The economics of industrial innovation. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1997.

Harvard Business Review on Innovation. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press, 2001.

Hounshell, D. From the American system to mass production, 1800-1932. Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1984.

Leonard-Barton, D. Wellsprings of knowledge. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press, 1995.

Moore, G. Crossing the chasm. New York: Harper Business, (1999).

Mowery, D., and N. Rosenberg. Paths of innovation: Technological change in 20th century America. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press, 1998.

Myers, M. Engines of innovation: U.S. industrial research at the end of an era. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press, 1996.

Nelson, R. The sources of economic growth. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Nonaka, I., and H. Takeuchi. The knowledge-creating company. New York: Oxford University Press, 1995.

O'Hara-Devereaux, M., and R. Johansen. GlobalWork: Bridging distance, culture, and time. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1994.

Pisano, G. The development factory. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press, 1997.

Roberts, E. Entrepreneurs in high technology. New York: Oxford University Press, 1991.

Innovation: Driving product, process, and market change. Edited by Roberts E. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2002.

Rogers, E. The diffusion of innovations. New York: Free Press, 1995.

Engines of innovation. Edited by R. Rosenbloom, and W. Spencer. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press, 1996.

Shapiro, C., and H. Varian. Information Rules: A strategic guide to the network economy. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press, 1999.

Sutton, R. Weird ideas that work: 11 1 2 practices for promoting, managing, and sustaining innovation. New York: Free Press, 2002.

Tedlow, R. Giants of enterprise: seven business innovators and the empires they built. New York: Harper Business, 2001.

Tushman, M., and C. O'Reilly. Winning through innovation. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press, 1997.

Utterback, J. Mastering the dynamics of innovation. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press, 1994.

von Hippel, E. The sources of innovation. New York: Oxford University Press, 1988.

Webliography:


LEC #	TOPICS	RELATED RESOURCES


1	Introduction and Overview


2-3	Origin of the Process	COMPUTERWORLD - Researchers close in on atomic storage target


4-5	Individual Contributions	HBS Working Knowledge - Time Pressure and Creativity


6-7	Technical Communication


8-9	Cross-Functionality


10-11	Geographic Dispersion	MIT team reports tips for successful virtual collaborations Tools for Virtual Team Communication Virtually There?


12-13	Intra-Organizational Networks


14-15	Inter-Organizational Networks


16-17	Organizational Features	Will Sun Rise Again?


18-19	Organizational Learning	An Innovation Recession? 3M Innovation


20-21	Market Changes


22	Industry Variability	IDEO Boston


23-24	Standards, Patents, & Open Source	Free As In Free Software (Richard Stallman) Why there are no GIF files on GNU web pages