Course coordinator
Associate Professor Sam MacAulay
Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 2, 2025 (28/07/2025 - 22/11/2025)
- Study level
- Postgraduate Coursework
- Location
- Brisbane City
- Attendance mode
- Weekend
- Units
- 2
- Administrative campus
- St Lucia
- Coordinating unit
- Business School
This course prepares students to lead in an uncertain environment. It develops an understanding of the importance and nature of innovation and how managers can lead innovation for value creation and capture. The course combines robust analytical frameworks with cutting-edge knowledge from research and insights from practice.
The Innovation Leadership course prepares participants toﾠleadﾠand manageﾠin an economic environment where the only long-term source of competitive advantage is the capacity to create and capture value through innovation. The course moves from discussions on the importance of innovation in the economy to more specific frameworks for leading innovation within organisations.
An important objective of the course will be to understand the broader context of innovation. It is unfortunate that innovation has become synonymous with ‘high-technology industries’ such as IT and biotechnology because innovation is important for the sustainability and performance of all businesses and the public sector. Some of the most innovative firms in Australia can be found in the agricultural, resources and infrastructure sectors that are often dismissed as being part of the ‘old’ economy. Service firms such as legal practices and management consultancies can also be innovative through changing business processes and service offerings to customers.
After considering the changing nature of innovation, which places demands on collaboration skills and using knowledge from outside the organization, the course moves to considering innovation as an integral part of business strategy.ﾠNew technologies that allow modelling and visualization of products and processes are also changing the innovation process. Leading innovation also means managing in the face of uncertainty and in this regard we introduce frameworks for strategy for unknowable futures.
The course has a strong practical emphasis and assessment is based upon developing innovation strategies for real businesses. In addition, it is grounded in research-driven understandingﾠof innovation based on case studies of world-leading innovators.
Course requirements
Incompatible
You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:
MGTS7711
Restrictions
GCBA, GDipBA, MBA
Course contact
Course staff
Lecturer
Associate Professor Sam MacAulay
Timetable
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
Additional timetable information
Please note: Teaching staff do not have access to the timetabling system to help with class allocation. Therefore, should you need help with your timetable and/or allocation of classes, please email business.mytimetable@uq.edu.au from your UQ student email account with the following details:
- Full Name
- Student ID
- Course Code
Aims and outcomes
Innovation has been described as the fundamental source of new value creation. The purpose of this course is to analyse the importance and nature of innovation and provide insight into how managers can lead innovation effectively. Students will understand and apply robust analytical frameworks and contemporary empirical evidence on international best practice in innovation leadership.
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Work collaboratively to present a novel analysis of the nature of innovation.
LO2.
Critically evaluate the nature and context of the innovation process and how it is changing.
LO3.
Apply innovative frameworks and theories to create and communicate insights into innovation strategy for an organisation.
LO4.
Develop an innovation strategy for an organisation.
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Presentation |
Photo Essay Team Presentation
|
30% |
23/08/2025 9:00 am
Presentation during Class |
| Paper/ Report/ Annotation, Project |
Consulting Report - Innovation strategy
|
40% |
20/10/2025 3:00 pm |
| Reflection | Critical Reflection Essay | 30% |
31/10/2025 3:00 pm |
Assessment details
Photo Essay Team Presentation
- Identity Verified
- Team or group-based
- In-person
- Mode
- Oral, Written
- Category
- Presentation
- Weight
- 30%
- Due date
23/08/2025 9:00 am
Presentation during Class
- Other conditions
- Peer assessed.
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03
Task description
This is a team assignment. You will be assigned to teams of 3-5 people. The task for this assignment is to create an image-based essay
describing an innovation. It will consist primarily of images (e.g. photos; graphs etc) presented to the class on the due date. You will have to upload your
presentation to Blackboard before commencement of class. The photo essay should be structured as follows:
Part 1: Select an innovation that a random person on the street would not be aware of (e.g. don't tell us about your iPhone!). Draw on course concepts to
describe the type of innovation, what makes it innovative, and how and why it was developed.
Part 2: Identify and illustrate the "enabling technologies" that needed to be in place for this innovation to be created and successfully diffuse.
Part 3: Drawing on course concepts to identify the "winners" and "losers" associated with this innovation's diffusion.
Part 4: Drawing on course concepts, identify what you believe was the single most important innovation leadership challenge associated with this
innovation's development and diffusion.
Ideally, I would like you to take as many of the photos as possible yourself. One of the points of this assignment is to make some of these ideas about
innovations more tangible, and figuring out how to take a good picture of something that is not a product is a good way to do this. However, if you cannot
take original pictures, you can source (or generate) images from other sources. You can also do this for things that are just impossible to photograph. I'm
not too worried about the quality of the photos, as long as I can tell what they are and how they fit into your story.
Please also note that not all students have to present but ALL students must contribute to compiling the presentation and be present to answer questions
from the panel.
Peer Evaluation: Peer evaluation using provided form has to be submitted individually by ALL team members as part of your team assessment.
AI STATEMENT
This assessment task evaluates students' abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT). Students are advised that the use of AI or MT technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Please Note: The presentation will be recorded for marking purposes per UQ Policy.
Submission guidelines
Submit individually through Blackboard Assessment link.
Deferral or extension
You cannot defer or apply for an extension for this assessment.
Extensions or deferrals are not available for this presentation due to the intensive nature of the course. An extension may be available for the submitted material only.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
10% Late Penalty applies to submitted material only. Late submissions are not accepted for in-class presentations. Failure to present at the scheduled time will result in a mark of zero for the presentation portion of this assessment.
Consulting Report - Innovation strategy
- Team or group-based
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Paper/ Report/ Annotation, Project
- Weight
- 40%
- Due date
20/10/2025 3:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04
Task description
You will work as a team to evaluate the innovation strategy of a self-selected business or organisation (preferably your current or previous organisation) using the innovation value chain framework to help you diagnose the state of play and other relevant analytical tools that have been discussed in this course.
Specifically you are to:
- Conduct an assessment of the current state of innovation strategy within the organisation.
- Make recommendations for improvement. The analysis and recommendations should be derived using the innovation tools concepts frameworks discussed in this course.
You will be asked to submit a 1 page overview that identifies your focal organisation at an agreed upon point, a brief description of the chosen organisation and the intended main objectives and/or expected outcomes of your planned study. This will not be formally graded, but will instead serve as an opportunity to gain feedback. It is imperative that you complete this step to ensure that your study organisation selection and intended approach align with expectations.
The final report should be tightly written for an executive audience max 3000 words.
AI STATEMENT
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Translation (MT) are emerging tools that may support students in completing this assessment task. Students may appropriately use AI and/or MT in completing this assessment task. Students must clearly reference any use of AI or MT in each instance.
A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 14 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Critical Reflection Essay
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Reflection
- Weight
- 30%
- Due date
31/10/2025 3:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03
Task description
The assignment is to write a 2000-word reflective essay based on your experience with innovation within an industry. You will draw on your knowledge of innovation to identify a technological change that is (or might be) fundamentally transforming the nature of an industry you have experience in. Salient trends could range from the artificial insemination of animals through to the shift to "green steel" production and onwards to AI-generated video for advertising. Reflecting on your experience and knowledge of this change:
- Use concepts from the course to describe the change and how it did (or might) impact existing business models within the industry
- Provide an argument for why it is, or is not accurate to characterise this technological change as "disruptive" to incumbents
- Identify the single most important innovation management problem you believe this trend posed (or is posing) to your industry, justify why this is so, and how one firm impacted should respond differently.
AI STATEMENT
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Translation (MT) are emerging tools that may support students in completing this assessment task. Students may appropriately use AI and/or MT in completing this assessment task. Students must clearly reference any use of AI or MT in each instance.
A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 14 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Course grading
Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.
| Grade | Cut off Percent | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (Low Fail) | 0 - 29 |
Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 2 (Fail) | 30 - 46 |
Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 3 (Marginal Fail) | 47 - 49 |
Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes |
| 4 (Pass) | 50 - 64 |
Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 5 (Credit) | 65 - 74 |
Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 6 (Distinction) | 75 - 84 |
Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 7 (High Distinction) | 85 - 100 |
Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
Additional course grading information
Grades will be allocated according to University-wide standards of criterion-based assessment.
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is available for this course.
Learning resources
You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.
Library resources
Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.
Learning activities
The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.
Filter activity type by
Please select
| Learning period | Activity type | Topic |
|---|---|---|
Week 1 |
General contact hours |
Day 1 - Saturday 2 August 2025 - The Nature of Innovation We'll be discussing: What is innovation? Why is it important? What makes it hard to manage? And applying this newfound knowledge to understand existing cases and your own experience. Learning outcomes: L01, L02 |
Week 4 |
General contact hours |
Day 2 -Saturday 23 August 2025 - Understanding Innovation in Your Organisation We'll learn to apply frameworks to analyse the internal and external environment shaping your organisation's innovation efforts. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03 |
Week 8 |
General contact hours |
Day 3 - Sunday 21 September 2025 - Creating Value by Managing Innovation The management of innovation can create value by influencing the generation of good ideas, their selection, and their implementation. We'll examine best practice for influencing each of these steps and what research has revealed about the tradeoffs involved. Learning outcomes: L01, L02 |
Week 10 |
General contact hours |
Day 4 - How to Building an Innovation Strategy An innovation strategy connects how you will create and capture the new value generated through innovation. We'll give you a critical appreciation of the tools you can use to build one and practice applying them. Learning outcomes: L03, L04 |
General contact hours |
Day 5 - Sunday 12 October 2025- How (Not) to Fail at Innovation Strategy There are many threats to executing a successful innovation strategy. We'll learn about the challenge of measuring success, the emergence of organisational inertia, the resistance to change, and the threat of disruption by new entrants. We'll then examine strategies to mitigate these risks. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L04 |
Policies and procedures
University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:
- Student Code of Conduct Policy
- Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
- Assessment Procedure
- Examinations Procedure
- Reasonable Adjustments for Students Policy and Procedure
Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.