Sparking Innovation in International Org

This course is the first in a two-course sequence on innovation in international cooperation and in low and middle-income countries. This fall course will focus on institutional reforms and how to leverage innovation to help drive organisational change within international organisations. The second course in the spring semester will focus on innovation in low and middle-income countries, including the role of innovation in fostering inclusive growth, in efforts to advance locally led development principles and in fostering inclusive innovation ecosystems, among other themes. 

In this course, students will learn how to frame innovation in the context of international cooperation and practical ways to advance change management within international organizations and government entities.  

The course is designed to help students gain a critical conceptual understanding of the practice of innovation in international organizations, obtain skills in change management, and learn the practical application of advancing innovation portfolio management within international organisations as well as a framework to support organisations build critical capabilities related to innovation and emerging technologies. Students will be exposed to a variety of frameworks, along with case studies and practical exercises. Students will gain an understanding of advancing innovation in international organisations in practice.

Students will explore the relationship between innovation practices and management practices that emerged over the last decade to infuse more flexible and adaptive practices. These include ‘working and thinking politically’, ‘adaptive management’, ‘doing development differently’ and others. These approaches intersect at times with innovation efforts in international organizations.

Case studies drawn from a variety of organizations and countries will anchor frameworks and theoretical content and help provide a greater understanding of the complexities and challenges of advancing impact and changing business as usual within international organizations.