Mastering Innovation, with inspiration from art masters
Earlier this year in January, I attended the “Mastering Innovation: From Idea to Value Creation” executive education program at Wharton San Francisco, as a guest participant. A signature component of the Program is the Innovation Tournament competition; and my project won first place thanks to my teammates from the group, who helped pivot my esoteric ideas into a consumer-friendly concept (high five again, James, Javier and Fernando!). I was greatly impressed by the stellar program taught by Prof. Christian Terwiesch and Prof. Karl Ulrich, which combines a robust systematic process generating, vetting and developing remarkable innovation opportunities, with mindsets, architecture, principles and tools essential for transforming organizational culture.
Earlier last month in June, I returned to the Program as a guest lecturer. Practicing what they preach, embracing new and emerging ideas in innovation philosophies and methodologies, even when they are “not invented here”, Profs. Ulrich and Terwiesch had me at their lectern to lead a session and workshop on art and innovation. Titled “Perspectives, Dimensions and Intransigents: Lessons for Innovation from Art History”, the session delivered a parcel of art-thinking research and arts-based learning practice in an “art box” inspired by my Tournament project. This time, I was impressed by the class’ receptiveness to my edgy approach, and by their own creative prowess! The executive participants not only engaged in a spirited and insightful debate about Impressionism, one of the most radically innovative art movements in history, and its decade-long crusade for market adoption; but also created meaningful artworks themselves, as visual expressions of their program experience.
The week-long program “Mastering Innovation: From Idea to Value Creation” is offered twice a year. Application is now open for the next runs January 13–17, 2020 (Philadelphia, PA) and June 7–11, 2020 (San Francisco, CA). Learn more and apply here.
Academic Directors:
CIBC Endowed Professor; Professor of Operations, Information, and Decisions; Professor of Management; Vice Dean of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, The Wharton School
Research Interests: Environmental issues, product design and development, innovation
Andrew M. Heller Professor at the Wharton School; Professor of Operations, Information, and Decisions; Professor of Health Policy, Perelman School of Medicine; Co-Director, Mack Institute of Innovation Management
Research Interests: Analyzing operational performance, innovation management, R&D management
