Topic outline

  • Leading Innovation and Compatibility by Standardization

    The course TU-EV00013 Leading Innovation and Compatibility

    is now re-starting using a new code TU-EV00026.  https://mycourses.aalto.fi/course/view.php?id=38169

    This web page is absolete now

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    Leading Innovation and Compatibility by Standardization provides exceptional visibility to the world of standards and standardization with a focus on innovation leadership and compatibility pursuit.

    Overview

    With the emerging data economy and platform-driven business models, the role of standardization and regulation is gaining importance as a tool to shape the market and speed up the development of services and products. This course will help you to have insight and understanding of the global collaboration and competition in several businesses subject to interoperability and network effects. Standardization is a tool to shape and drive the evolution or revolutions in the business systems. This course aims to go beyond the traditional aims of standardization training that are focusing mainly on how to utilize existing standards. In this course the emphasis is in the business leadership, innovation and value creation and capture.


    Furthermore, Standardization is an opportunity to achieve global recognition, like Technology Emmy reward 2019! Congratulations to a highly competitive and collaborative team developing Video coding formats, including strong contributions by the team in Finland.https://www.iso.org/news/ref2441.html

    Content

    The course is in two parts, interactive video lectures and a project work. The video lectures consist of three areas: introduction to relevant theories, presentations on different standardization dynamics through relevant practical cases and finally, discussion on selected special topic relevant in the current business life. The course utilizes examples of ICT driven businesses, but the relevance is not limited to this domain only.

    Project work of the part two may address business-critical issues in telecommunications, but also in transportation, healthcare, power grid, and IOT as well as forward-looking views to the key future standards for data economy, such as digital identity, AI and blockchains, and 6G. Using standards and standardization in all sectors of life is the ultimate scope of this course. However, smart application requires deep understanding of the sector specific dynamics combined with the theoretical models of this course.

    Learning Outcomes

    This course provides an overview and practical ideas on the ways to drive innovations in different types of ecosystems using standards and standardization as a tool. Furthermore, the course draws a scenario map to standardization in the context of the boundary conditions, such as regulations, equilibrium of competition and collaboration as well as diffusion of innovations. This is essential knowledge to people whose interests include market and technology strategies for emerging practical opportunities in global and regional platforms and data economy. Furthermore, the holistic approach in the lectures encourages participants to think big while the practical project work takes a deep dive to a specific concrete case and aims to form a list of executable actions to drive standards, standardization and in essence drive compatbility and relevant business opportunities.

    Level of the Course

    This course is suitable for Masters' level and provides several perspectives for strategy or innovation leadership oriented post graduate students. The course is available also for Aalto Alumni responsible on standardization or industry collaborative business. The course is recommended only in exceptional cases for students preparing their candidate degree, requiring pre-approval by the teacher.

    Assesment Methods and Criteria


    Part one
    Part one of the course consists of a combination of video lectures and related debate sessions. There will be 10 video sessions, each including 3-6 videos addressing earlier literature on compatibility pursuit and innovation, interoperability, and standards and taking the participants to practical standardization through case specific sessions.

    The sessions are grouped to three sets: theory, practical cases and some specific topics. Each set is supported by some recommended reading. Each set include also a seminar session where the content of each set is discussed. You can pass the part one of the course (and earn 2 ECTS) by watching the video lectures, participating these 3 seminar sessions, each having a short questionnaire, and by presenting your observations (of the videos) in writing and naturally by actively participating the discussions.

    Part two

    Part two of the course is a deep dive to some specific area withing the scope of the course. Part two is a project oriented teamwork, for 2-3 people. The outcome of this teamwork is to have a report which should propose a viable solution to a specific business motivated problem using standards and standardization mechanisms as the primary tool. The Project work requires some specific knowledge on the chosen business domain as well as knowledge learned during the part one of the course. Some basic supportive written material will be available as well as tutoring when necessary. In order to pass the part one of the course (and earn another 3 ECTS) acceptable report is required as well as a short oral presentation on the main findings by the team members together.


    Workload 2+3 credits, 54 h + 72 h = 126 hours

    Part one; 2 credits 54 h

    • Learning landscape and practices by listening 3 sets of video lectures: 30 h (3*10 h = 30h)

    • Reading of one relevant article for each set: 12 h (3*4h/article=12 h)

    • For each set complete a questionnaire and write a short summary and participate a seminar session to share and discuss the learnings: 12 h (3*1.5 h + 3*2.5 h)

    Part two; 3 credits 72 h

    • Take a deep dive to one specific topic in the field. A teamwork of 2-3 people to utilize the learnings in a research project.

    • Choosing/defining the topic of the project work: 2 h

    • Reading 3-5 articles, papers, or other documents: 8 h (4*2 h=8 h)

    • Exploring and reading 3-5 relevant other references: 8 h (4*4 h=8 h)

    • Short empirical study in the for of applying learnings and earlier literature to the chosen research topic. This may also include interviews or some form of analyses of data 27 h

    • Writing a project report approximately 5 -10 pages in the form of academic conference paper 25 h

    • Creating a presentation and presenting the paper in a seminar: 4 h


    Prerequisites 

    TU-E1010 Advanced Strategic Management and TU-E2111 Innovation in Operations and Services, or equivalent courses and expertise.

    Status of the Course

    Elective course of the majors of Industrial Engineering and Management and Information Networks. 

    Language of instruction and studies 

    English

    Contacts

    The teacher of the course is Executive in Residence Dr. Timo Ali-Vehmas (timo.ali-vehmas@aalto.fi).

    The course assistant for the course is NN, email: NN at aalto.fi