Introduction to the Concepts and Dynamics of Innovation

IE 424 treats innovation as a system you can actually analyze rather than a vague buzzword — looking at how new ideas move from a creative spark through markets, organizations, and funding cycles, and why most of them die along the way. You'll work through two case studies, a project, and a midterm/final, with a lot of in-class discussion, role-play, and group presentations where you dissect real companies and pitch your own thinking. It sits on the strategic side of IE alongside the engineering management and entrepreneurship electives, and it's useful preparation if you're heading toward consulting, a startup, or any role where you have to argue why an idea is worth building.