Innovation in services

To an increasing extent, organizations in both the private and public sectors are confronted with expectations of being innovative, being open for changes and being creative. In the private sector the discourse is closely connected to competitive advantages and expectations linked to this. In the public sector these expectations are also observed through reform elements and governance and management elements. In both private and public sector concepts such as "lean", "co-creation", "innovation leadership", and "social entrepreneurship" is frequently used. However, one might question what is the content of these concepts or discourses? And what are the drivers behind such expectations for innovations? In the public sector, several scholars point to increased complexity and resource scarcity also impact expectations of innovation. Moreover, these expectations for innovation can also be founded in organizational factors, both internally and externally. For instance, organizations or leaders might want to be perceived as proactive and resourceful to their surroundings.

The main aim of this course is to reflect on the expectations of innovation in the public and private sectors, how such expectations show in work life settings, and how potentials, challenges and problems are related to different types of innovations. Additionally, the course introduces concepts and provide knowledge about how organizational characteristics might influence the capacity to be creative and innovative.