Organizing Sustainable Innovation

URL study guide

https://studiegids.vu.nl/en/courses/2024-2025/E_MFS_OSI

Course Objective

Academic skills (Analysis, Abstraction, Argumentation, and Application): Analysis – Critically evaluate innovations and innovation approaches from the perspective of sustainability Abstraction – Recognize key principles and approaches for sustainable innovation that can be used as templates to transform existing businesses into more sustainable products and services Argumentation – Make a business case for sustainability, convincing decision-makers that sustainability can be a valuable opportunity Application – Develop strategies and plans for transforming existing products and services into innovative, more sustainable ones Knowledge: Understand the concepts of the management of innovation processes and the specific challenges and approaches for developing and adopting sustainable innovations Bridging Theory and Practice: Apply creative and analytical methods for new product, service, and business model development Social Skills: Working in teams for idea development

Course Content

This course concerns the development and commercialization of sustainable innovations. Organizing for sustainable innovation implies a shift away from a reactive approach (i.e. organizations responding to economic, societal and regulatory pressure) to a pro-active system-oriented approach: by relying on creativity and a systematic (re)design of their business processes and interaction with stakeholders, organizations are now developing innovative products, services and business models that have sustainability at their core. Organizing for sustainable innovation involves many of the general processes and methods for the development of new products and services, yet also offers particular challenges and approaches, which this course addresses by building upon the stakeholder perspective developed in the earlier courses. The following topics will be covered:
• The business case for sustainability, including why sustainability can be framed as an opportunity (as opposed to a threat or disruption to current business), potential pitfalls and how these can be surmounted;
• Innovation management for sustainability, including collaborative and digital innovation in an; types of innovation (e.g. product, service, process, data, ecosystem, platform and business model innovation); innovation processes;
• The development of ideas into products, including co-creation with users and other partners, sustainability, and the role of digitalization
• Sustainable innovations in collaborative partnerships, including the important role that various stakeholders (e.g. suppliers, competitors, regulators, consumers) play in stimulating or inhibiting the adoption of sustainable innovations such as renewable energy.

Teaching Methods

Lectures Tutorials

Method of Assessment

Individual assignmentsGroup assignments Exam

Literature

Collection of academic articles (will be announced on Canvas).

Recommended background knowledge

First two courses of the minor program “Sustainability and innovation.”