20660 - COLLABORATIVE STRATEGIES FOR INNOVATION

No formal prerequisites.

Innovation-focused firms face two critical challenges in managing their organizations. First, they must develop robust strategies for coordinating the production, design, and development of products and services within the firm while making strategic decisions under uncertainty. Second, because of the emergent and evolving nature of innovation-centric industries, firms must develop strategies and routines for cooperating with external partners, who may possess important knowledge and capabilities, in their ecosystem. For instance: companies like Facebook and Uber must find new ways to grow internally by making choices about which new businesses to buy, based their highly uncertain future potential, as well as collaborate with complementors and competitors to build a sustainable industry ecosystem.

Accordingly, this course focus on developing strategies for coordinating growth activities within firms as well as fostering cooperation activities outside the firm, both of which are essential for innovation success. At the end of the course, students understand the fundamental issues a general manager must cope with when organizing innovation activities both within and outside the firm.

1. The first half of the course focuses on the main internal growth choices managers must make, with special emphasis on decision-making under uncertainty for innovation-focused firms. Topics include:
   • Internal coordination.
   • Organic growth.
   • Make or buy decisions.
   • Organization for innovation.
   • Divestitures.
2. The second half of the course focuses on the main topics in developing cooperative strategies including:
   • Alliance formation.
   • Negotiation and management.
   • Collaborating with competitors (in platform settings).

• Understand the different types of growth strategies for internal growth available to firms.
• Understand different types of innovation outcomes and strategies available to firms.
• Understand the different types of alliance strategies available to firms.
• Understand the different types of collaboration strategies available to firms.

This course is intended primarily for students who envision themselves occupying managerial positions in innovation-focused business organizations. Such positions are not limited to general management but rather include a variety of non-executive positions that entail managerial decisions and actions that have strategic implications. Therefore, it is increasingly important for many managers to acquire relevant skills needed to understand how their actions may affect the firms that employ them. The course incorporates conceptual readings, recent research findings, as well as cases of actual firms, to ensure an up-to-date perspective on the topic:

• Conduct cases analyses - qualitative and quantitative.
• Develop different product development strategies based on the type of firm and type of product.
• Develop different alliance strategies based on the type of firm and type of product.

• Face-to-face lectures
• Guest speaker's talks (in class or in distance)
• Exercises (exercises, database, software etc.)
• Case studies /Incidents (traditional, online)
• Group assignments

• Guest speakers may visit the class.
• In class activities and presentation either individual or in gorup may be assigned.
• Students are expected to read cases and complete group assignments before coming to class.

Attending students are assessed on their knowledge and understanding of the different strategies for internal growth, innovation, alliances, and collaboration:

• Through class participation (25%).
• A group assignment focused on an in-depth analysis of a company focusing on developing one of the above 4 strategies (50%). 
• In addition, at the end of the semester they submit learning logs (25%) which test how students apply what they have learned in a managerial setting.

Non-Attending students are assessed on:

• An individual project where they develop a new project development strategy for a firm of their choice that should reflect their knowledge and understanding of the course material (100%).
• Students present an oral presentation of the project which is scheduled after the course concludes. Students should plan for 15 minutes with additional time set for questions which further test their application of the knowledge and understanding of the course. In addition, the project should be accompanied by a paper that reports analysis and recommendations to the firm that studied. This written paper should not exceed ten (10) double-spaced typewritten pages, (with 1" margins and 12-point font).

Slides, book chapters, and articles are distributed in class and posted on Bboard.