This class exists in these courses :
• IÉSEG > IESEG Degree - Programme Grande École > Semester 2 > 2,00 ECTS

Prerequisites

No prior formal knowledge of innovation is required. However, students who are familiar with concepts and techniques in the realms of the arts, critical thinking, creativity, design, entrepreneurship, IT, marketing, and/or innovation will be able to test their understandings in real-world contexts. This course is complementary to a wide range of existing IESEG courses that deal with one or more of the forementioned areas while maintaining a focus on the applied practice of innovation in the human-designed world we inhabit.

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, the student should be able to:
1. Assess and identify possible improvements to commonly encountered systems, products, and processes in the everyday world.
2. Create a written design brief and prototype in the form of a model or detailed diagram for the improvement of a system, product, or process.
3. Appreciate both the "push" and "pull" aspects of sociotechnical improvements to the human-designed world and that improvements are possible everywhere, everyday, while always being subject to constraints.
4. Demonstrate in a preliminary manner their ability, working with a small team, to successfully deliver three different design briefs over a four-day period.
5.Engage in discerning critique of proposed improvements by others to existing systems, products, and/or processes in the everyday world and in the corporate world.

Course description

Students will engage in practical innovation beginning with examples within easy accessible distance of IESEG which the class will collectively visit the first day under the tutelage of the professor. After being randomly assigned to a small team their team will identify three "innovation spots" of their choosing not visited by the class in the wider local environment within contraints imposed by the professor. They will identify one or more rapid improvements that could be made to a process, system, and/or a product. For each team-selected site, they will create a comprehensive written design brief and an associated four minute "pitch" about their improvement(s) to that system, process, and/or product. A prototype in the form of a model or a detailed diagram will also be supplied as part of their portfolio. All teams will judge in writing several submitted portfolios from other teams in addition to assessments of all portfolios by the professor.

Class type

Class structure

Teaching methods

• Case study
• Coaching
• E-learning
• Interactive class
• Presentation
• Project work
• Visits/fields trips

Assessment

Student teams will each judge a select number of other teams' portfolios using a rubric provided by the professor. Their judgements will be combined with the professor's assessment of all teams' portfolios as well as his observations of each team. Each student will also write and submit a 500-word self-reflective essay of what they learned in this course and assess the performance of each member of their own team, including themself, with rationales. The essay is due one-week following the end of the class in lieu of a final exam.

Recommended reading

• R. Keith Sawyer (2012). Explaining Creativity: The Science of Human Innovation. Oxford University Press, 2e. -

• Vijay Kumar (2012). 101 Design Methods: A Structured Approach for Driving Innovation in Your Organization. Wiley. -

• Gerald J. Puccio, John F. Cabra, Nathan Schwagler (2017). Organizational Creativity: A Practical Guide for Innovators & Entrepreneurs. SAGE. -

• A curated collection of good quality design briefs and brief articles about design briefs will be provided in IESEG online for student use -

Internet resources

• IESEG Online for all required materials