Innovation Demystified: Tools for Finance Professionals (Coursera)

The course addresses the special perspective, opportunities and requirements of accounting and finance professionals, who are uniquely positioned to build a modern partnership with their Digital, Transformation, Product, Marketing, Technology, Operations and other colleagues to help their organization’s innovation efforts succeed. The topics covered will provide you with the ability to:

• Describe how innovation can help your organization stay ahead of customer or user needs and other trends needed to survive.
• Recognize the top barriers to innovation in your organization
• Describe the role of leadership in creating and supporting a mindset of innovation
• Explain how the nine elements of the Seek, Seed, Scale framework can be applied as a set of principles and tools within your role to effectively set you up as an innovation enabler for your business or industry.
• Recognize areas of opportunity to leverage your skills as a finance professional to assist your business’ innovation efforts, and where these can be enhanced and expanded with new learning.

Syllabus

WEEK 1
Introduction: Innovation Demystified: Practical Tools for Finance Professionals
Introducing the tools, methods and mindset that will enable contributions to any organizations’ innovation agenda, this course illustrates practical techniques specific to driving innovation. You will see how and why leading, measuring, and executing innovation takes tools, methods and mindset different from those used to operate an established business. The course addresses the special perspective, opportunities and requirements of accounting and finance professionals, who are uniquely positioned to build a modern partnership with their Digital, Transformation, Product, Marketing, Technology, Operations and other colleagues to help their organization’s innovation efforts succeed.
Learning Segment 2: The value of innovation
In this segment, we discuss the role innovation on business transformation and how it can help you and your organization stay ahead of your customer or user needs and other trends needed to survive.

WEEK 2
Learning Segment 3: What it means to innovate - revolution and evolution
In this segment, we define ‘innovation’, discuss barriers to innovation, and examine the key characteristics of successful innovation implementation.

WEEK 3
Learning Segment 4: Fostering Innovation
In this segment, we discuss how innovation happens through non-linear, dynamic and iterative processes, and present the Seek, Seed, Scale Framework as a set of principles and tools that provide guideposts for navigating towards success.
Learning Segment 5: Introducing the Seek, Seed and Scale framework
In this segment, we discuss how innovation happens through non-linear, dynamic and iterative processes, and present the Seek, Seed, Scale Framework as a set of principles and tools that provide guideposts for navigating towards success.
Learning Segment 6: Establishing an Innovator's Mindset
In this segment, we examine how the nine elements of the Seek, Seed, Scale framework can serve to establish an innovator’s mindset, equipping you to make critical contributions to your business' innovation initiatives.

WEEK 4
Learning Segment 7: Innovation and the Finance Professional
In this segment, we explore innovation's place within a growingly complex and ever-changing accounting and finance profession.
Learning Segment 8: Conclusion
In this segment, we make sure you are ready to take the first steps to becoming an innovation enabler. You will be asked to review and reflect upon the knowledge gained thus far with consideration toward your role and professional goals.