Descriptif

Introduction

This course will equip students to provide leadership to digital innovation initiatives and develop new business models for existing and new organizations. Advances in digital technologies such as AI, blockchain, Internet of things, 3D printing, etc. are having a transformative impact on all sectors of our economy. The COVID-19 pandemic has amplified and accelerated these transformations, firmly pushing large swaths of our lives onto digital platforms. These shifts are radically changing among other things how we shop, order food, work, interact with public bureaucracies and civic institutions, organize healthcare, learn in our education systems, and conduct R&D. Accordingly, mastering the concepts, practices, and technologies of digital transformation is increasingly becoming a critical skill for senior decision makers. This course will examine the technological and economic factors that have spurred and are shaping the digital revolution. Moreover, it will examine the challenges leaders face in harnessing this revolution for social good.

Course objectives

The objective of this course is to provide students with an understanding of the frameworks, skills, and capabilities needed to provide leadership to digital innovation and transformation initiatives. To bridge the theory and practice of digital transformation, the reading list and class discussions for this course build on a mix of articles form scientific journals and more practitioner-oriented publications. The lectures will follow an interactive format that relies to a large extent on practical case studies. After taking this course, you will:

• Understand how the digital revolution is shifting the economic forces that drive competitive dynamics in markets, in particular by increasing the importance of network economies.
• Appreciate how the digital revolution has led to the rise of new so-called digital-first business models that emphasize platforms and ecosystems.
• Possess insights into how these new business models clash with existing business models of established firms.
• Be familiar with challenges involved in organizational transformations that are necessary to implement digital-first business models.
• Be able to formulate and implement innovation strategies that make use of new digital platforms that for example support open- and crowd- based innovation initiatives as well as new ways of incorporating experimentation and prototyping into innovation processes.
• Be trained to identify and resolve tensions that exist between the private objectives of individual firms and the need to optimize broader social outcomes in the design of digital ecosystems.

Assessment

The assessment of this course consists of a final test (25%) and a group project (75%). For the group project students will need to conduct an analysis of a digital transformation or innovation opportunity for a new venture, established organization, or a government/regulatory agency. The project should include an analysis of the opportunity, a strategy for addressing the need that is at the center of this opportunity, and an examination of the social externalities that are linked to the proposed initiative. Further details and group assignments will be announced during the third lecture of the course.