Innovation by Design in Organisational Settings

In this course, students learn how design can contribute to achieving innovation within organisations, both public and private. The focus is on what comes after the design phase: how an innovative concept can be effectively implemented in an existing organisational context.

Students delve into theories of organisational behaviour, innovation, and strategic design, such as the Game Changers model, C-K theory, exploration vs. exploitation, sensemaking, and co-evolution. In interactive Fishbowl sessions, they jointly build a theoretical framework to interpret and reframe organisational challenges.

Subsequently, students apply these insights to a self-selected real-world case. Working in teams, they reformulate an innovation challenge from a “problem as given” to a “problem as taken” and develop a proposal for an intervention. This intervention is developed as a boundary object – a tangible representation that helps the organisation engage in discussions about change and innovation.

The course stimulates critical thinking, collaboration, and reflection, and prepares students for a role as designers who actively contribute to innovation in complex organisational environments. Theory and practice are actively connected throughout the course.

The learning objectives of the course are assessed through two components:

 ·       Team report (80%, group assignment): Each team submits a report including a management section for the partner organisation and a glossary of the theoretical concepts:

o   Management section: this section of the report entails the findings for the partner organisation. Making use of the theoretical concepts and their findings in practice, teams reformulate the innovation challenge—from a “problem as given” to a “problem as taken”— and make a well-founded proposal for an intervention. The intervention is presented in the form of a boundary object. This part of the report showcases the teams’ analytical and design skills in applying theory within a complex context.

o   Glossary section: this section elaborates on theoretical concepts from the literature, provided with examples, and linked to insights from their case study. The glossary demonstrates the extent to which students are able to understand, interpret, and apply theoretical concepts in context.

 ·       Individual reflection (20%, individual assignment): Each student writes a personal reflection on their learning process, their role in the team, and the application of theory in practice. This reflection demonstrates the extent to which the student is aware of his or her own learning development, collaboration, and professional growth, and is able to translate this awareness into concrete, action-oriented learning goals.

 Both components must be assessed with a grade minimum of 5,0 and a weighted average grade of minimally 6,0 to successfully complete the course.

 The group assignments are assessed on content quality, relevance of the applied theory, and clarity of communication. Peer feedback may be used in the evaluation of group work to account for individual contributions.