Navigating the turbulent waters of tech and innovation

Navigating the turbulent waters of tech and innovation

Leaders today not only must be aware of emerging tech, but they also must have the skills to assess whether new innovations should be added into their organisations. Read on for some insight on how students in the Management of Technology and Innovation class gain foundational knowledge to navigate the seas of emerging tech.

To be a successful leader in today’s industry, it is highly necessary to both understand and manage changes caused by technology and innovation. Yet how can we include the management and commercialisation of incremental, emerging and disruptive technologies in ethical and sustainable ways? 

Students taking the Management of Technology and Innovation class, a core course in RMIT’s MBA program, gain the necessary tools by which to judge new tech and whether it should be implemented into a business or not. 

Dr Tony Nguyen, the current Lecturer teaching this class states that “students are provided with an overview of the major technological trends over the past few decades for them to gain an understanding of the evolution of technology. It also serves to highlight the rapid pace and unpredictability of technological change.”

Students are challenged through in-class discussions, case studies and role-playing activities. In addition, top executives from various industries are invited to come share their insights and experiences to give an industry-perspective for students to see the relevancy and usefulness of the tools discussed in class.

Group of postgraduate students discussing in classroom

One role-playing activity puts students in a scenario where each must take on different executive roles within a company. They are provided with a bundle of emerging technologies that a firm is considering implementing in their organisation and they must carefully research the tech then discuss the potential benefits and challenges associated with implementing it. When they make a choice, they must also identify which specific processes will leverage the tech and provide a strategy of how to execute this change within their organisations.  

Dr. Nguyen explains that “this activity is designed for students to apply some of the management principles covered in class, including encouraging collaboration and teamwork, developing critical thinking skills, raising awareness of current emerging technologies and gaining an understanding of how this change can impact the different stakeholders of a company.”

As a way to build further foundational understanding of what it means to manage technology and innovation, Dr. Nguyen brings in different guest speakers. Recent visitors include Paul J. Ng, Chief Partnership Strategy Officer for FWD Insurance and Lan Kim Duy Tran, Country Representative for Navagis Inc.  

Dr. Nguyen notes that “our guest speakers discuss their own challenges and lessons learned when faced with the implementation of emerging technology in their firms. Breakout sessions are organised for students to reflect and discuss what they have learned from these sessions and to draw parallels to theoretical concepts we’ve previously discussed.” 

Are you curious how you too can gain the necessary skills to lead during times of technological turbulence and industry disruption? Check out RMIT’s MBA program and reach out to one of our professional program advisors today! 

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