Information Technology and Organizational Innovation

What kinds of organizational innovations are emerging on the Net, and how will these innovations change traditional institutions?

The course has two central themes. First, what are the social and technological assumptions underlying the idea of virtual organizations? What dynamics do networks introduce into different kinds of institutions and organizations, and under what conditions are these new dynamics innovative? This course evaluates the emerging theory and practice of virtual organizations, ranging from digital libraries to virtual communities, from political and social movements on the 'Net to virtual government experiments, from startups to virtual corporations. Students are asked to research the impact of IT upon the organization of specific industries and institutions, to test the concept of virtual organizations in specific contexts.

The second theme is the management of innovation. Special focus is given to startups as an organizational strategy to create innovation: How do startups create markets for innovation? How do technology companies attempt to innovate continuously? But attention is also given to the ways that traditional organizations attempt to manage the IT innovation process through knowledge management strategies.