Project management and innovation*

The course aims to provide students with the conceptual foundations and frameworks for thinking analytically about how innovation shapes organizational processes and people and impacts on sectors and institutions. The course proposes a critical reflection on how advancements in technological innovation shape and inform the practice of management, managerial expertise, and the way of managing businesses.


Course learning objectives are the following:

· Analyze the extent and nature of innovation and understand how innovation, fueled by Intelligent Technologies, shapes businesses' practices and work organization.

· Discuss how companies advance innovation by using, for instance, project-based structure and identify different forms of project organizing (such as single-project organizations, project networks, and project ecologies).

· Discuss how projects, such as R&D projects or new product development projects, are used to accomplish innovation, solve complex problems, and explore entrepreneurial opportunities.

· Explain the challenges in developing and implementing innovation for people and organizations, and the broader social challenges associated with innovation.

· Assess the opportunities and challenges afforded by Intelligent Technologies and Data-driven culture within business and across sectors and society.

Having successfully completed this course, students will be able to:

· Discuss the effects of technological change and digital technologies on businesses

· Discuss the different views and forms of innovation

· Assess the relevance of user-based, collaborative and platform innovation

· Explain the ways in which companies use projects to achieve innovation

· Discuss the different types of project organization and how each affords opportunities for creating systematic and formal approaches to harness innovation

· Evaluate prospects and challenges of innovation, and examine the implications for businesses, sectors and society