Strategic and Responsible Innovation

Module description

The module provides an understanding of how managers can deal with ongoing innovation in both private and public sectors, in both manufacturing and service settings. It explores the core process underlying innovation and the enablers and blockages to effective innovation management. This ranges from incremental (‘do what we do but better’) innovation through to more radical, ‘do different’ innovation. A key aim is for you to understand the strategic as well as operational issues that affect the innovation process.  Particular themes running through the module will be (a) the ways in which sustainability is becoming a key driver of innovation across a broad spectrum of sectors, and (b) how we can embed an approach to innovation which is both responsible and sustainable in itself. This necessitates an understanding of the dimensions of responsible innovation and how these are implemented. The module will explore the challenges in establishing and sustaining such an approach to innovation and introduces a range of enabling tools, models and structures.

Internationalisation:  Innovation, by definition, is very international. Innovation is highly essential for change in organisations, which is globally important, especially in the emerging world.

Sustainability:  This module challenges you to think about what you would have to change, as an innovation manager, to deliver the sustainability and responsibility agendas. The text books and the case studies used for this module have sustainability as a major driving force.

All of the lecture and reading material are available online, including the textbooks which are available as e-books.

External Engagement:  The assignment connects you with organisations, so that they can assess their capabilities. You will conduct research into how innovation is managed in organisations, with their reports having previously been considered at Board level within Devon and Cornwall Police, and Pennon Group. The module features input from the innovation team at the Torbay NHS Trust, and FutureAgenda.

Employability: Almost every lecture discusses various concepts, tools and frameworks to organise and manage innovation in business. Innovation audit using the innovation framework model enables you to get knowledge and understanding of innovation management is a very practical skill highly valuable to employers.

Ethics and Corporate Responsibility: the module looks at ethics as part of the Responsible Innovation topic.

Research in Teaching: the module will draw on research articles in the first instance; use the module leader’s research expertise in the areas of discussion; and engage you in independent research to support the Innovation Audit case study.

Full module specification

Module aims

This module will provide an understanding of how managers can deal with ongoing innovation in both private and public sectors and in manufacturing and service settings. It will explore the core process underlying innovation and the enablers and blockages to effective management.  It will relate these to different business models, including emerging business models.  Innovation processes range from incremental (‘do what we do but better’) innovation through to more radical, ‘do different’ innovation. A key aim is for you to understand the strategic as well as operational issues that affect the innovation process.  Particular themes running through the module will be (a) the ways in which sustainability is becoming a key driver of innovation across a broad spectrum of sectors and business model types, and (b) how we can embed an approach to innovation which is both responsible and sustainable in itself. This necessitates an understanding of the dimensions of responsible innovation and how these are implemented. The module will explore the challenges in establishing and sustaining such an approach to innovation and introduces a range of enabling tools, models and structures.

ILO: Module-specific skills

• 1. evaluate the significance of innovation and how it links to wider strategic and operational issues within the firm.
• 2. appreciate how process innovations help transform a range of inputs into products/services for customers and end-users.
• 3. understand what a business model is, and its components.
• 4. explain how firms can develop new products and services to differentiate from competitors.
• 5. assess how firm size, technological complexity and environmental uncertainty influence innovation processes.
• 6. assess how a sustainability perspective can reveal new approaches for product, service and organisation development.
• 7. appreciate the ways in which the business model can be a source of innovation.
• 8. evaluate the dimensions of responsible innovation: purpose and vision (the ‘right’ impacts); opening up debate and participation; identifying and managing externalities; and adaptive governance.

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

• 9. diagnose barriers to innovation in a company setting, taking the actual or target business model into account.
• 10. apply a range of innovation tools to generate product, process, positional or paradigm improvements.
• 11. evaluate the contribution of innovations to improving the environment and well-being.
• 12. demonstrate how to embed dimensions of responsible innovation in a real world setting.
• 13. identify how to increase the likely success of new products and service.
• 14. recommend appropriate strategies for the development and commercialisation of innovations.

ILO: Personal and key skills

• 15. demonstrate effective written and oral communication skills.
• 16. demonstrate effective independent and group study and research skills.

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Syllabus plan

Strategic importance of innovation; sustainability as a driver of innovation; key definitions and a ‘roadmap’ for managing the innovation process. 

Search – how to pick up trigger signals for innovation and the importance of ‘open innovation’.  Developing a responsible innovation strategy – tools for building a strategic portfolio and for decision-making around innovation. 

Linking operational performance to innovation priorities.

Auditing and improving innovation capability. 

Innovation management in different contexts. 

Implementation – managing innovation projects against a background of uncertainty. 

Organizing for innovation. 

Contingencies and complexity in managing innovation. 

Adoption and diffusion of innovation.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Basic reading:

Tidd, J. and Bessant, J., (2014), ‘Strategic innovation management’, Wiley.

Owen, R, Bessant, J., Heintz, M. (eds), (2013), Responsible innovation’, Wiley

Module has an active ELE page?

Yes

Origin date

24/11/2014

Last revision date

07/11/2018