Innovation in services
To an increasing extent, organizations in both private and public sector are confronted with expectations on being innovative, being open for changes and being creative. In private sector the discourse is much about competitive advantages and expectations linked to this. In public sector these expectations take the form of reform elements and governance and management discourses. In both private and public sector concepts such as "lean", "co-creation", "innovation leadership", and "social entrepreneurship" is frequently used, however what is the content of these concepts or discourses? And what is the drivers behind the expectations on innovations? Coming to public sector some scholars point to scarcity, other argue that the problems one is dealing with have become increasingly complex. However, these expectations on innovation can also root in internal characteristics, for instance that organizations or leaders need to comply with their environments or portray themselves as proactive. We will also investigate the public sector’s role for businesses innovations activities.
The main aim of the course is to reflect on the expectations about innovation in public and private sector, what these expectations mean in practical life, and how potentials, challenges and problems is related to different types of innovations. In addition, the course will introduce the concepts and provide knowledge about how organizational characteristics might influence on organizations capacity to become creative and innovative.
Applicants must either fulfill one of the following criteria in order to qualify for admission to the course:
- have a Bachelor degree of 3 years' duration (180 ECTS), equivalent to a Norwegian Bachelor degree, with an average grade of C, and a minimum of 2 years of relevant work experience.
Knowledge
- Upon successful completion of the course the student should be able to document knowledge in important issues and approaches in studying innovations.
Skills
- To be able to critically reflect on the possibilities, problems and challenges pertaining to the implementation of innovation in the public and private sector.
General competence
- To be able to apply one's knowledge and skills acquired from the innovation litterature, and be better prepared for dealing with practical challenges of participating in innovative processes.