Teaching innovation

Innovation Trainingexperiences at University of Trento

Dr. Nicola Mezzetti

Department of Information Engineering and Computer ScienceUniversity of Trento

[email protected]

European Alliance for Innovation, Bratislava, June 9th 2015

Dr. Nicola Mezzetti Innovation Training

Context: Italy

Italy is a late-unification Country (1860s)

Diversity: coexistence of different cultures

Cohesion: a history of domination and the lack of a sense ofnation undermine people’s cohesion

Creativity: recognized ability to think out of the box

Entrepreneurship: scarce tendency to embrace risk

typically, the term risk has a negative connotation (i.e. threat)


Education in Italy

From the primary school to the high school, the Italian educationsystem

is based on correcting weaknesses instead of empoweringtalents

typically fails to recognize and exploit the educational value offailure

correctness of results is as important as the understandingusually, failure is perceived as a thing to blame, a sign thatwe are doing a wrong thing, instead of the finding of a waythat just doesn’t take us to the right place

In all that time students are challenged individually, limiting thedevelopment of teamworking abilities.


University of Trento

Font: www.timeshighereducation.co.uk


Students Enrolled at University of Trento

Significant representation of the diversity throughout the national

territory


Foreign Students Enrolled at University of Trento

High presence of foreign students mitigate weak tendency to

entrepreneurship


The Class

Subject: Quality and Innovation Engineering

Course of study: Information Engineering and BusinessOrganization, Department of Information Engineering andComputer Science, University of Trento

Duration: 1 semester, 48 teaching hours

Class composition: about 100, 21 y.o., two different profiles

would-be technologists: deepening approach to disciplineswould-be managers: broadening approach to disciplines


The Challenges

Complexity of the subject

Scarcity of time

Number of students

Low experience of students

Cultural and educational diversity


The Subject: Quality

Quality has to do with building and managing organizationscapable of

meeting customer requirements

protecting the business reputation by identifying andeliminating defects

reducing waste in production

understanding and anticipating customer’s needs andexpectations

rapidly adapting in order to provide flexible and fastresponses to market opportunities

... and of continuously improving.


Principles of Quality Management

Customer focus for producing value

Leadership to manage complexity and diversity

Involvement of people for creating value by connectingdiversity

Process approach to monitor and control advancements

System approach to management to split complexity

Continual improvement to innovate

Factual approach to decision-making for effective decisions

Mutually beneficial supplier relationships for a rewardingcooperation


Quality & Innovation

Quality can be seen as a framework for exploiting innovation as thekey enabler of organizations’ sustainability and capability ofdelivering value to customers

Continuous improvement is the form in which innovationhappens in quality management (e.g., Kaizen)

Companies not innovating will loose competitiveness.


Issues about Teaching Innovation


Point 1: Innovation or Inventions?

The two terms are related with each other, however it is importantto stress the differences:

Innovation: (etym. new-action) making changes insomething established: practices, customs, manners, or rites.

Invention: finding something new and still unknown, devisedway of organizing things.

Innovation happens with the recognition by a community of usersof the value of an invention, which can either be a new tool or anew way of employing existing tools.


Point 2: Filling the Gap

Filling the gap means managing to make inventions applied,hence

Knowing the environment

Identifying and understanding stakeholders, their needs andexpectations

Creating a value proposition

Communicating the value

Winning resistance to change

...


Point 3: The Innovation Chain

Innovation happens when an economically sustainable process

successfully transfers an invention into a rewarding application capable of

meeting customers’ needs and expectations in a way that is consistent

with the expectations of the other interested parties.


Point 4: Creating the Culture of Innovation

Promote:

Entrepreneurship

Diversity

Creativity

Engagement

Collaboration

Learning

To this purpose, the class final exam consists of presenting aproject work executed in team.


Point 5: Managing Complexity and Diversity

There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.

(W. Shakespeare, Hamlet)

World’s complexity goes far beyond what we understand; a formalapproach is not enough to avoid the risk intrinsic to innovation.

Business success, and innovation as well, will always depend on ourability to recognize opportunities and to combine common senseand preparation.


Final Considerations


The Numbers

After the 1st cycle of lectures, about half of the class’ students hadcollected enough educational credits to start a curricular internshipor to start working on their final examination.

I received about 15 requests for an internship in the qualityand innovation engineering area

7 students are currently employed on internships in privatecompanies3 students are currently employed on academic internships2 waiting for the internship to initiate

3 students are currently working their final examination project


Thanks!

Everyone knows that not all change is good or even necessary. Butin a world that is constantly changing, it is to our advantage tolearn how to adapt and enjoy something better.

Ken Blanchard1

1In the foreword of ”Who moved my cheese?” by Spencer JohnsonDr. Nicola Mezzetti Innovation Training

Teaching innovation

Leadership & Management

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