About this Course

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What is innovation management? How do firms bring in new business models and get new products and services to the market? Go on a nine-week journey through innovation management concepts, theories of idea generation, selection, strategy formulation and implementation in this MOOC in Innovation Management. In it, you will also learn the tools for implementing innovation projects yourself. 
Guided by world-class academics, you will develop an innovative mindset and expertise in how firms successfully create new ideas for marketing new products. The syllabus also includes sessions about innovation strategy, idea management and social networks.

During this course, you will learn how to:
•	use the main innovation management terminology and concepts
•	explain the adoption life cycle and innovation adoption at the individual level
•	define creativity and explain how creativity can be stimulated
•	recognise and describe three types of idea management systems
•	explain what an innovation strategy is and why it is important
•	describe what a product portfolio is 
•	explain how innovation projects should be selected and managed
•	explain the importance of teams, team structures and networks for innovation.

Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM) is one of Europe’s leading business schools, and ranked among the top three for research. RSM’s primary focus is on developing business leaders with international careers who carry their innovative mindset into a sustainable future. Go to www.rsm.nl for more information.

This nine-week MOOC in Innovation Management is taught in English. There is no fee to participate in the programme.

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Beginner Level

Approx. 10 hours to complete

English

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Skills you will gain

Social Network
Management
Innovation
Innovation Management

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Beginner Level

Approx. 10 hours to complete

English

Could your company benefit from training employees on in-demand skills?

Try Coursera for Business

Instructors

Instructor rating

4.57/5 (461 Ratings)

Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Content Rating93%(8,488 ratings)

Week1

Week 1

1 hour to complete

Introduction

1 hour to complete

5 videos (Total 24 min)

Week2

Week 2

1 hour to complete

The Adoption of Innovations

1 hour to complete

2 videos (Total 26 min)

Week3

Week 3

2 hours to complete

The Fuzzy Front-End - Creativity

In a knowledge-based and innovation-driven business environment, creativity is an essential capability if an organisation is to gain a sustainable competitive advantage. All innovations begin with creative ideas, and creativity is also needed during the entire innovation process. So, it is imminent that employees in any job and at any level of the organisation can contribute to innovation with creative ideas. This module comprises of four instruction videos, one interview with a creativity consultant, and two assignments. After this module you will understand what creativity is and how you, other people and groups become more creative: crucial knowledge for any manager that wants to excel in innovation!

2 hours to complete

5 videos (Total 48 min)

Week4

Week 4

1 hour to complete

The Fuzzy Front-End - Idea Management

Organisations receive many new ideas from employees, suppliers, and customers. But they often do not realise the innovative potential of these ideas because they fail to properly manage them. By studying this module and doing the associated exercises, you will understand the basic principles of idea management. You will be able to differentiate between three types of idea management programmes, and learn about their different characteristics, advantages and disadvantages. In addition, you will learn about two general challenges that many idea management programmes face: how to motivate people to continuously submit ideas and how to improve the quality of ideas. A better understanding of the principles, differences, and challenges of idea management will help you design appropriate idea management programmes that turn new ideas into successful innovations.

1 hour to complete

3 videos (Total 32 min)

Week5

Week 5

2 hours to complete

Strategy - Innovation Strategy

Innovating is no longer a choice, but a business imperative. This imperative demands a clear strategic direction for the innovation activities. This week will introduce the central challenges and available solutions to develop and execute an innovation strategy. In addition, you will study the typologies and evolution of change in the business environment, and discuss tools that can help you make sense of your business environments. An important element in this module is that the change does not always occur independent of the firms, but firms are both subjects and agents of change. In particular, you will discuss how firms can shape their environment through disruptive innovations.

2 hours to complete

5 videos (Total 32 min)

Week6

Week 6

1 hour to complete

Strategy - Portfolio Management

This week’s module is about portfolio management, which covers how to implement your innovation strategy. We introduce the concept of the funnel. We show two alternative funnels, reactive and proactive, and we explain the differences. You will explore three practical examples of the proactive process: Ericsson, Lego and Philips. Next, we will elaborate on an important consideration in portfolio management, which is protecting intellectual property. Finally, you will learn two specific tools that you can use in portfolio management. The first is a financial tool, the real options method, and the second one is the planning tool called ‘roadmapping’.

1 hour to complete

4 videos (Total 36 min)

Week7

Week 7

1 hour to complete

Execution - Implementing Innovation

By studying the materials of this week and doing the associated exercise you will learn how innovation projects can be managed. You will understand and describe the different elements of stage-gate models. Also, you will familiarise yourself with the concepts of experimentation and enlightened experimentation within the context of innovation project management. As a result, you will be equipped with an understanding of the peculiarities of innovation projects, and how companies deal with these peculiarities.

1 hour to complete

4 videos (Total 44 min)

Week8

Week 8

2 hours to complete

Execution - Teams and Networks

How do teams and social networks affect the development and the sharing of knowledge and innovation? The module will consist of four videos that will help you develop conceptual and practical knowledge on these topics. After a brief introduction of what teams and social networks are – and of what they are not – you will learn how these every-day concepts relate to innovation in organisations. You will explore key concepts about teams and networks, and become more aware of how you can generate and transmit innovation in your work activity.

2 hours to complete

4 videos (Total 28 min), 1 reading, 1 quiz

Week9

Week 9

1 hour to complete

Final exam

1 hour to complete

Reviews

4.7

512 reviews

5 stars
74.45%
4 stars
21.73%
3 stars
3.10%
2 stars
0.32%
1 star
0.38%

TOP REVIEWS FROM INNOVATION MANAGEMENT

by TJSep 13, 2017

A lot of useful information and good interviews and presentations. I hoped for a little bit more practical tips, how to apply an innovation management system in an company. But sure, very helpful.

by REApr 29, 2022

This was a very enlightening course and enjoyable to follow as well. I had fun doing it and that made it very alluring which is great for learning! I hope to do a higher level one with RSM.

by AHJun 13, 2020

Um dos melhores cursos que já tive online. Boas explicações, bom exemplos, bons professores e bons temas. A sugerir e partilhar. Muito benéfico para quem quer entrar no mundo da inovação e da criação.

by CCMay 31, 2020

Very enlightening course for me, it gave me a good background into the field of innovation and is well scripted introduction. I would love to do follow up courses to this.

View all reviews

Frequently Asked Questions

When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:
The course may not offer an audit option. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid.
The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
What will I get if I purchase the Certificate?
When you purchase a Certificate you get access to all course materials, including graded assignments. Upon completing the course, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
What is the refund policy?
You will be eligible for a full refund until two weeks after your payment date, or (for courses that have just launched) until two weeks after the first session of the course begins, whichever is later. You cannot receive a refund once you’ve earned a Course Certificate, even if you complete the course within the two-week refund period. See our full refund policy.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.

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Innovation Management