Rationale

This course examines the activities, practices and competencies involved in innovation and creativity within the organisational setting and specifically in project management. The ability of the organisations and managers to instil and manage innovation and creativity is critical to achieve a competitive advantage and success. The aim of this course is to unleash students’ potential for creativity and innovation leading to enhanced project management.  Similarly, the students will learn how innovation takes place in different industries and how it can be organised and managed in order to create value. By linking theory with case study analysis, the students will discover the processes and applications that the industries use, in order to leverage creativity, innovation and technology and therefore, improve competitiveness and effectiveness. 

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the course students will be expected to:
(i)    Define innovation and creativity; practice creative thinking to develop innovation in a range of projects.
(ii)   Explain the role of creativity within innovation and the different types of innovation.
(iii)  Describe theories, frameworks and methods to manage innovation and enhance creativity through project management.
(iv)  Identify opportunities during the project life cycle to engage with creativity.
(v)   Apply these theories to the operation of technical processes and lead the project team.
(vi)  Apply the skills to lead and take innovative initiatives.
(vii) Identify and overcome obstacles that hinder creativity and innovation.
(viii) Apply creativity to resolve issues for the benefit of a project and business in general.
(ix)  Explain the role of Virtual Teams in today’s working environment.