Applied Professional Studies (Innovation)

Innovation is about doing new things, and doing old things in new ways to deliver new value.

A combination of competition, cynicism about consultants and the recent recession have emphasised the requirement for 'a new breed of practitioner' within organisations. These leaders of innovation must be able to apply techniques and thinking around making things better, as well as making them different.

This programme is designed for individuals whose current role is to innovate, either in public, social or private enterprise on a major or minor scale, and who wish to develop themselves as innovation practitioners.

This part-time programme provides an opportunity for individuals to learn whilst doing, and to participate in a structured, complementary learning process that develops their ability as innovation Practitioners. Students will be learning, reflecting and sharing experience within a cohort of peers and developing personal innovation leadership capability through action and influence in the workplace.

Applicants must be responsible for leading the delivery of innovation projects within their employing organisation within either public, social or private enterprises.

The intention of this new programme is to rebalance innovation practice to develop individuals with the language,skills and capability to influence both strategic and tactical thinking.

The programme begins with a three-day practitioner conference to accelerate performance, followed by six taught modules delivered in two Friday/Saturday residential workshops. A developmental sequence of three work-based learning innovation projects (15, 30 and 45 credits) with regular one-day, monthly touch-point meetings to monitor project progress will also be included.

Aims of the Programme

• To focus on the practice of innovation as means of developing personal mastery.
• To accelerate the development of innovation practitioners as they work on real projects.
• To develop an ambidextrous approach to innovation that includes both improvement and transformative change.

Content

In the Year 1, five of the six discrete modules on innovation, leadership, and self-development within the programme are completed, plus the first work-based learning innovation project. The six taught modules help to set the innovation context for the individual and their employing organisation. It will also help the individual to facilitate conversations within their organisation about the innovation journey that the organisation needs to make as well as the one that it is willing to make.

• Managing Your Professional Development (15 credits) Design a learning agreement that connects the individual, the employing organisation and the university.

• Innovation Leadership (15 credits) Core conceptual models around innovation thinking and leadership, relevant tools and techniques for understanding students' own [public, social or private enterprise] organisation's emergent innovation strategy and innovation architecture.

• Creative Problem Solving and Consulting (15 credits) Provides a core model for consulting and leading creative problem solving in teams.

• The Research-Minded Practitioner: Critical Thinking for Innovation (15 credits) Apply critical thinking to establish the purpose and usefulness of published innovation literature to practitioners looking for solutions.

• Innovation Freedoms (15 credits) Explore and map organisations' potential and unexploited 'freedoms' to innovate.

• Research and the Professional (15 credits) Design and deliver a personal research project within the context of their innovation practice and their organisation.

In Year 2 the 30-credit work-based learning innovation project is completed, and the sixth module is undertaken to prepare for the final 45-credit work-based learning innovation project.