Innovating for Impact Winter Term

DE - Bitte beachten: Es gibt keine deutsche Kursseite, da der Kurs nur in Englisch angeboten wird.
EN - Please note: This page has no German version because the course is only offered in English.

Quick Info: Master | Seminar | English | Winter Semester | 6 ECTS

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LSF Master Seminar: "Innovating for Impact" Winter Term

Summary

Course: Master Seminar: "Innovating for Impact" Winter Term
Chair: Institute for Innovation Management
Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Jelena Spanjol
Dr. Manuel Schneider (BMW)
Assistant: Dr. Marcelo de la Cruz
Fiona Witzigmann
Target Group: M.Sc. BWL
Examination: Presentation (15 minutes per student) and seminar paper (22,200 signs per student). Each examination part accounts for 50% of the final seminar grade.
Prerequisites: No specific requirements.
Recommended: Value Portfolios and Temporality (PStO2024)

Please note: if you are interested in pursuing a master thesis at the IIM, this seminar is one of the possible prerequisites.
Course Material: Kick-off slides and recommended readings
Rotation: Every winter term
Language: English
ECTS: 6
Examination Guidelines / Attendance: Per examination guidelines, your attendance at the kick-off session makes your participation in the seminar binding.
Application / Participation: To ensure a high-quality learning experience, we will admit a maximum of six students to this seminar.

If you would like to participate, please submit your application by September 24, 2026. Students selected for early admission will receive a binding confirmation by Friday, September 25, 2026.

For general admission, including the waiting list, applications can be submitted until October 8, 2026.

BWL-, WOS and international students can apply by sending an email to Marcelo de la Cruz (delacruz@lmu.de) with one file containing
(1) a brief letter of motivation (~half page),
(2) your CV, and
(3) your current grade transcript (Notenspiegel).
Course content: How can firms believe in, and deliberately act toward, two incompatible futures at once? What happens when an organization must pursue what seems impossible, uncertain, or even contradictory? Rather than treating such tensions as failures of strategic coherence, this seminar explores them as fundamental challenges of innovation and potential sources of organizational capability.
Students will engage with real organizational tensions, competing futures, and innovation challenges, while learning how to turn a puzzling phenomenon into a rigorous research design and generate novel insights through scientific inquiry.
Course objective: The seminar is dedicated to helping students develop their academic reading, writing, and research skills. Special attention will be paid to identifying theoretical and managerial contributions in the research paper and translating between managerial questions and scientific body of knowledge, writing a scientific paper, and presenting the findings. This seminar also serves as a preparation for students who are interested in writing a master thesis on topics related to innovation management.
Course schedule: Kickoff: October 14, 2026 (8:00 – 12:00)
Coaching sessions: October 21, October 28 and November 04, 2026 (8:00 – 12:00)
Practitioner meeting: November 18, 2026 (8:00 – 12:00)
Final presentation: December 9, 2026 (8:00 – 12:00)
Final paper due date: December 21, 2026 (eod)

Please notice that this schedule might be subject to change.
Exam registration: 15.10 - 21.12.2026
Cancellation of registration: 15.10 - 21.12.2026

Please note that the schedule is preliminary and subject to change.

What is this course about?

How can firms believe in, and deliberately act toward, two incompatible futures at once? What happens when an organization must pursue what seems impossible, uncertain, or even contradictory? Rather than treating such tensions as failures of strategic coherence, this seminar explores them as fundamental challenges of innovation and potential sources of organizational capability.

Students will engage with real organizational tensions, competing futures, and innovation challenges, while learning how to turn a puzzling phenomenon into a rigorous research question, build a theoretical argument, and generate novel insights through scientific inquiry.

What will I gain from this course?

Students will learn how to turn a puzzle into a research project: formulate sharp research questions, translate abstract ideas into variables and empirical tests, design and document a rigorous methodology, analyze data, and build a compelling academic argument. The goal is to explore competing futures, organizational tensions, and innovation challenges as opportunities to understand how firms can develop new forms of organizational capability to enhance innovativeness.

How is the seminar conducted?

You will work in teams alongside BMW on a cutting-edge research project exploring innovation, radical uncertainty, and future-making.
All sessions are mandatory.
Per examination guidelines, your attendance at the kick-off session makes your participation in the seminar binding.