GRA 2207 Managing Knowledge Work, Creativity and Innovation

GRA 2207 Managing Knowledge Work, Creativity and Innovation

Course code: 
GRA 2207
Department: 
Leadership and Organizational Behaviour
Credits: 
6
Course coordinator: 
Wajda Wikhamn
Course name in Norwegian: 
Managing Knowledge Work, Creativity and Innovation
Product category: 
Master
Portfolio: 
MSc in Business - Leadership and Change
Semester: 
2018 Autumn
Active status: 
Active
Level of study: 
Master
Teaching language: 
English
Course type: 
One semester
Introduction

Managing knowledge work, creativity and innovation is a course that will provide an overview of contemporary research and practice based knowledge of the most important topics, concepts, and contributions within the fields of knowledge, creativity and innovation management. It will facilitate experiential learning of the competences needed to lead change in organizations (especially with focus on. Above all, the course will deal with three questions: 1) why do individuals, team, and organizations need to manage knowledge, create and innovate at work; 2) what is knowledge work, creativity and innovation within the organizational settings, and 3) what can leaders, human resource managers and professionals, employees, and organizations in general do to facilitate learning, creativity and innovation processes within and around their organizations.

Learning outcomes - Knowledge

The students will obtain an in-depth understanding of contemporary research evidence-based knowledge in the integrated fields of creativity and innovation management, and get an overview of the most important topics, concepts, and contributions within this field.

Learning outcomes - Skills

After completing the course, the students should be able to critically examine theories, studies and practice in knowledge work, creativity and innovation management. They should know how research in this field may be conducted, and see how this knowledge may be applied to real life situations. And vice versa, the students shall be able to construct new knowledge from real life situations that the course will enable them to engage with.

Learning Outcome - Reflection

The students should be able to communicate and discuss knowledge work, creativity and innovation concepts, processes, real-life practices in order to construct, communicate and utilize knowledge about the managing knowledge, creativity and innovation at work.

Course content

PART ONE: MANAGING KNOWLEDGE WORK
1.1. Introducing Knowledge Work: Processes, Purposes and Contexts
1.2. Individual Knowledge Sharing and Hiding
1.3. Knowledge-intensive Firms
1.4. Managing Knowledge Creation in Teams
1.5. Human Resource Management and Knowledge Work
1.6. The Role of Social Networks for Knowledge Work
1.7. Managing Knowledge for Innovation

PART TWO: MANAGING CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION
2.1. Creativity and Innovation Processes: Definitions, Typologies, Rationale
2.2. Context: Building the innovative organization & Developing an innovation strategy.
2.3. Search: Sources of innovation, Creativity and innovation networks.
2.4. Select: Decision making under uncertainty, Building the innovation case.
2.5. Implementing creative ideas: Creating new products and services.
2.6. Capture: Capturing the benefits of innovation, Capturing learning from innovation.

Learning process and requirements to students

MKWCI TV is an experiential learning project, where students need to invest significant amount of effort and show their best collective creative output. During the process, students need to apply a wide variety of skills relevant to modern organizations (storytelling, interviewing, digital skills, working under time constraints, reflection and induction of theory from practical examples).  

The course is structured as a combination of lectures, discussions, in-class activities (several case studies and a computer simulation), and compulsory student presentations. It requires substantial amount of preparation by the students and active involvement during class.

Please note that while attendance is not compulsory in all courses, it is the student’s own responsibility to obtain any information provided in class that is not included on It's learning or text book.

This is a course with continuous assessment (several exam components) and one final exam code. Each exam component is graded by using points on a scale from 0-100. The components will be weighted together according to the information in the course description in order to calculate the final letter grade for the examination code (course). Students who fail to participate in one/some/all exam elements will get a lower grade or may fail the course. You will find detailed information about the point system and the cut off points with reference to the letter grades when the course start.

At resit, all exam components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course.

Software tools
No specified computer-based tools are required.
Qualifications

All courses in the Masters programme will assume that students have fulfilled the admission requirements for the programme. In addition, courses in second, third and/or fourth semester can have spesific prerequisites and will assume that students have followed normal study progression. For double degree and exchange students, please note that equivalent courses are accepted.

Assessments
Assessments
Exam category: 
Activity
Form of assessment: 
Class participation
Weight: 
20
Grouping: 
Individual
Duration: 
1 Semester(s)
Comment: 
Student activity in the classroom (individual) - active participation in in-class discussions, short cases, and other individual activities
Exam code: 
GRA22071
Grading scale: 
Point scale leading to ECTS letter grade
Resit: 
All components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course
Exam category: 
Activity
Form of assessment: 
Presentation
Weight: 
30
Grouping: 
Group (2 - 3)
Comment: 
Student presentations – MKWCI TV clips, cases or research articles (in groups of two or three students)
Exam code: 
GRA22071
Grading scale: 
Point scale leading to ECTS letter grade
Resit: 
All components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course
Exam category: 
Submission
Form of assessment: 
Written submission
Weight: 
50
Grouping: 
Individual
Duration: 
1 Semester(s)
Comment: 
Term paper (individual). The term paper will be based on a case purchased from The Case Centre and the students will have to cover the expenses.
Exam code: 
GRA22071
Grading scale: 
Point scale leading to ECTS letter grade
Resit: 
All components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course
Exam organisation: 
Continuous assessment
Grading scale: 
ECTS
Total weight: 
100
Sum workload: 
0

A course of 1 ECTS credit corresponds to a workload of 26-30 hours. Therefore a course of 6 ECTS credits corresponds to a workload of at least 160 hours.