Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/55957
We need to expand our definition of innovation. Innovative management strategies have changed business almost as much as innovative new products. Emphasis on Innovation Innovation has become an issue of such importance that we have formed a Task Force to deepen our understanding of its role in business and in business schools—in what we are teaching and how we are teaching it. Led by Robert S. Sullivan of the University of California San Diego, the Task Force recently issued a report on its findings. Its central point is that we need to expand our definition of innovation. The word does not apply merely to entrepre- neurs creating new inventions, because innovation describes processes as well as products. In fact, the report points out that innovative management strategies—in areas such as cus- tomer relations, product distribution, and employee manage- ment—have changed business almost as much as innovative new products. As the report makes clear, business schools can contribute to innovation on many levels. They can create highly entre- preneurial environments on campus, which will encourage students to develop innovative thinking habits and faculty to focus on innovative research. In addition, through inter- Economist and Academic For much of his career as a dean, Andrew Poli- cano has been a tireless fund raiser. He became dean of the Paul Merage School of Business at the University of California, Irvine, in 2004. There, he secured the $30 million naming gift from Paul and Lilly Merage and set his sights on increasing the school's long-term endow- ment. During his previous deanship at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Business, he worked to increase the school's endowment from $6 million to more than $95 million. While in Madison, Policano also was instrumental in the launch of the school's $23 million Fluno Center for Executive Education. Policano is deeply involved in other areas of vital concern to the man- agement education field as well. He has worked to make sure all of Mer- age's programs are highly ranked and focused on socially responsible sus- tainable growth. He also is committed to increas- ing diversity at business schools. He served as a founding director of the PhD Project, which works to draw more African Americans, Hispanics, and Latin Americans to doctoral business pro- grams. After 15 years with the organization, he continues on as a member of the steering committee. Through his leadership roles at AACSB Inter- national, Policano has been a strong voice in the management educa- tion industry. He was first elected to AACSB's board of directors in 2001. Between 2001 and 2003, he chaired the Blue Ribbon Task Force on Accredita- tion Standards, which developed the accredita- disciplinary coursework and experiential learning modules, schools can equip business leaders with the skills to creatively manage product cycles and enhance working environments. Even incremental changes can contribute to big break- throughs, as the report points out: "Important impacts on innovation can come from advances in the theory, practice, or teaching of management, but intellectual contributions do not have to be revolutionary to support innovation." In order to discover those inflection points, the report suggests to schools: "Do even ordinary things differently." Many programs that encourage innovation are already in place. For instance, open-enrollment executive educa- tion programs can be excellent incubators for innovation, since they tend to draw participants from a wide variety of industries whose many different perspectives result in excit- ing debate. Multidisciplinary courses train students to think innovatively, as do courses that blend innovation with other key themes, such as healthcare or sustain- tion standards that guide AACSB today. Since that time he has held key roles on the PhD Bridge Program Task Force, the Committee on Issues in Management Education, the Special Committee on Global Accreditation 54 BizEd SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2010