Course info

Description:
While innovation is increasingly depending on the incorporation of knowledge from a diversity of sources, questions are raised as to what kinds of sources, and how they are incorporated in processes of innovation. As innovative challenges and conditions are changing with increasing pace these questions cannot just be solved through a singular choice of organisation or established guidelines for selecting innovative ideas. Issues of how to stage the scene and circumstances and how to facilitate processes and the involvement of diverse actors in innovation have increasingly come into focus. Successful innovation is seen as the outcome of interactions within a broader network spanning across diverse organisational and societal boundaries and institutions. There is a need to address the creation and navigation of new fora and spaces for development where existing frames of understandings may be challenged and new patterns for interactions emerge.

The course takes its departure in the well described dilemmas between incremental but often path dependent innovative processes within established networks and the quest for the development of new innovative, disruptive or breakthrough ideas, product and services facilitated through new networked relations. A range of theories, cases and approaches concerned with the framing, organising and staging of innovative processes, from linear sequential models to complex, dynamic networks of innovation are treated and related to the current work of the participants.

During the course, a dialogue is created between the participants’ projects and a diversity of understandings of the management and staging of innovation from organisation, institutional theory and sociology of innovation. The idea is to direct inquiry and to stimulate theoretical insights and empirical approaches in the field of innovation. The course introduces concepts that help render relevant phenomena and issues (relationships, dynamics, consequences) in the participants’ projects visible and open to investigation and analysis. This would, in turn, also help in delineating hypotheses of relevance to the investigation of innovative processes and their staging, and in proposing new directions for research in the field.

The program will cover the following themes:
- Challenges in innovation management and the staging of innovative processes
- From planning and calculation to social learning and translation of interests
- ‘Co-creation’ and ‘path creation’ as heterogeneous network building,
- Staging and navigation of temporary spaces for innovation across knowledge boundaries

Form
The students should be familiar with basic understandings of innovative processes from innovation theory or science and technology studies (the STS field) on an academic master level.
The program includes teacher presentations, student presentations, company talks and dialogue sessions where students will receive feedback on their presentations and projects from fellow students as well as teachers.

As a preparation to the first assembly, participants should prepare a case or a theoretical perspective (oral supported with ppt) within the theme of the course.
Between the first and second assembly participants write a five page analysis bringing theory to bear on selected case material of their own choice. These assignments are basis for evaluation and approval of participation. In addition participants will be asked to fill in a formal evaluation scheme.

Application
Applicant will have to send in a one page application to the organisers presenting a brief presentation of their research project, research questions and a brief motivation for participating in the course.
Deadline for applications is April 15, 2013.
Applicants will receive notification of acceptance by Monday, April 29, 2013.

Any expenses toward accommodation or transportation for participating in the course must be met by the participants themselves.


Organizer: Christian Clausen, professor, cDIST - Center for Design, Innovation and Sustainable Transition, AAU PLAN-CPH, email: chcl@plan.aau.dk
Søren Kerndrup, associate professor, SIP, AAU PLAN, email: soeren@plan.aau.dk

ECTS: 5

Time and place : 22-23 September 2014 at Nybrogade 6, room Nbg6 1.133 in Aalborg and 3-5 December 2014 in Copenhagen

City: Aalborg and Copenhagen

Number of seats: 15

Deadline: 8 September, 2014