The goal of this class is to understand and exercise the role of creativity in entrepreneurship for stimulating innovation. An entrepreneur must be able to readily adapt to changing conditions, forces and realities. Key improvisation skills include flexibility, trust and teamwork. Get ready to get off your feet and improvise in this class!

Guest speakers for this class typically include Drama and Improvisation Professor Patricia Ryan and Senior Associate of the Office of Technology Licensing Linda Chao.

Relevant Textbook Chapters Chapter 5 Innovation Strategies Chapter 9 Knowledge, Learning and Design
Discussion Questions When have you felt most creative? Be specific. What are your obstacles to being creative? What does 'improvising mean to you? How does it differ from other ways of problem solving?
Fresh Start 2002: Weird Ideas That Work Innovation is key to success, and people want it to happen in their organizations. Yet, so many find it difficult to part with deeply ingrained beliefs and practices about how to treat people, make decisions and structure work. Sutton brings to light how to generate and capitalize on new ideas by doing what is counter-intuitive.
Why managing innovation is like theater Austin suggests that a stage production and product development may have a lot in common. His key insights: whenever you have no blueprint to tell you in detail what to do, you must work artfully and a company with big stars will probably be less effective than an ordinarily talented bunch who have learned how to collaborate.
Characteristics of an entrepreneur Individuals get too much credit and blame for the fate of new ventures. This article poses the perspective that successful entrepreneurs are those who can develop the right kinds of relationships with others inside and outside their firm and that these intertwined groups should be recognized rather than individuals.