Course in Managing Innovation in Business: Strategies, Processes and Leadership Models

The advanced specialisation course addresses innovation as a process to be governed within the company, holding together the strategic and operational dimensions. The main content includes innovation strategies, the design thinking methodology, change management, that is, the management of organisational change, and the assessment of emerging technologies. A significant part of the programme is devoted to leadership for innovation, that is, the skills needed to guide people and organisations through change. The approach stresses an integrated approach between strategy and operations: ideas must be turned into processes, projects and organisational models that can really be applied. Innovation is treated not as an isolated event, but as an organisational capability built over time through strategic choices, structured processes and leadership behaviours, and which therefore requires analytical tools, shared working methods and the ability to lead change.

The programme lasts four months and is held in person in Milan, at the Polytechnic University. The choice of in-person attendance is also motivated by the desire to encourage the building of a network of relationships among participants, who come from different companies and sectors. Teaching uses practical cases and interactive methodologies, designed to stimulate discussion and to allow the tools presented to be tried out immediately. Priority is given to the immediate transferability of skills, that is, the possibility of applying what has been learned in the work context during and immediately after the course. The page does not state the total hours, the credits, the individual modules or the final assessment methods, so for these aspects the university's official documentation must be consulted. The contained four-month duration makes the course compatible with professional commitments, and the in-person format makes it possible to make full use of group discussions, the cases presented and the interactive activities, which are designed to stimulate reflection on the concrete situations of the participants' companies.

The aim is to prepare professionals able to set up and lead innovation initiatives, choosing strategies, processes and leadership models suited to their context. The course is aimed at managers, professionals and entrepreneurs with work experience who wish to strengthen their skills in innovation management. The related professional figures are innovation consultant, innovation manager, digital innovation manager, business strategist, startup manager and corporate coach. The course therefore offers cross-cutting training, useful both for those who work in established companies and for those who work in younger, more dynamic businesses, where innovation is a continuous competitive factor. The programme is therefore suited to those who already hold management responsibilities or run a business and wish to acquire an up-to-date overview of methods and tools, or to those who want to prepare for innovation coordination roles in companies of different sizes and sectors.