Innovation and Entrepreneurship

3 units

The theme takes the perspective that innovation and entrepreneurship are core business processes associated with survival and growth of the organization, and it should be managed as such. We view innovation broadly as a process of knowledge creation, testing, and eventual implementation. Entrepreneurship creates new possibilities by bringing together a multitude of diverse assets driven by the understanding of customer needs and the evolving challenges of the competitive environment. The objective of the theme is to help our students develop the needed skills in managing the complex, multi-stage processes of innovation and entrepreneurship under highly uncertain conditions, whether the innovation and entrepreneurial opportunities arise in a large, well-established company or a new startup. Educating professionals, managers, and executives in entrepreneurial thinking and innovative practices is a key strategic principal of the Olin business school, and our theme is in full support of it.