FTMBA2026 Managing Innovation and Corporate Transformation

Course Content

In detail, the course will address the following topics:

• The importance of innovation for achieving sustainable competitive advantage
• Characteristics and impact of different innovation strategies
• Multiple dimensions of innovation such as product, process and business model innovation
• Characteristics of disruptive technologies and their impact on competitiveness
• Digital technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), analytics and big data and their impact on organizations and competitive advantage
• How to manage digital transformation processes
• Real life examples of companies from multiple industries that successfully anticipated and drove disruptive technological change to increase competitive advantage and business performance
• Typical pitfalls that explain why firms fail to react to disruptive challenges from established and new competitors
• Best practices from firms that have successfully reinvented themselves and managed to stay ahead of their competitors
• Characteristics and behaviors of effective leaders driving strategic renewal in dynamic and uncertain environments
• Corporate culture, innovation climate and cultural change processes
• Market-driven innovation, customer integration and cross-functional integration
• Open innovation, co-creation, alliances and M&A
• Strategic innovation portfolio management
• Agile innovation process management, ideation, effective organizational structures for implementing innovation (venture teams and task forces) and cross-functional teams
• Corporate venturing and incubation
• Innovation assessment and metrics
• Frugal and reverse innovation, innovation for and from emerging markets
• Big data and analytics for technology and innovation management
• Research as an important engine of radical innovations

Intended Learning Outcomes and Competencies

The core objective of the course is to get across the most critical and strategic aspects of managing technology, innovation and corporate renewal at a sufficient level of depth to the students. It strongly emphasizes which leadership skills are required to effectively drive technological transformation, innovation, strategic initiatives and radical change in organizations. MBA students will learn what it takes to build lasting competitive advantage and prosperity by means of innovation as opposed to short-term optimization strategies. The main “take-aways” from this course have implications for all major industries including services.

Instruction Type

Face-to-face study

Form of Examination

3 Group assignments (50 %), final take home exam (50 %)

Literature

Course pack