Managing Innovation: Emerging Trends
MIT Sloan School of Management course examining emerging trends reshaping how organizations innovate. Topics include the shift toward open information and open source models over protected intellectual property, the distribution of innovation across many independent but collaborating actors rather than centralized R&D, and toolkits that let end users innovate for themselves rather than relying on manufacturers. The course draws on MIT Sloan research into user-driven and distributed innovation models and their strategic implications for firms. Materials available through MIT OpenCourseWare include readings, lecture notes, and assignments, following the standard OCW format of free self-study access with no certificate offered. Aimed at students already familiar with innovation management fundamentals, it works through case examples of open source communities and toolkit-enabled user innovation to explain why traditional closed, firm-centered innovation is being challenged.