Open Innovation
Innovate faster by looking beyond your own walls — tap external ideas, talent, crowds and ecosystems to drive growth.
Overview
The best ideas rarely all live inside one organisation. Open Innovation, from Harvard Online, shows how leading companies innovate faster and smarter by opening up their innovation process — drawing on external talent, crowds, partners and ecosystems.
Grounded in cutting-edge Harvard research, the course helps you understand when and how to open up, how to run crowds and contests, build innovation ecosystems, and manage the openness without losing control of what matters.
What you'll learn
- What open innovation is and why it matters
- Inside-out vs outside-in innovation
- How to use crowds, contests and communities
- How to build platforms, ecosystems and partnerships
- How to manage openness, IP and risk
- How to embed open innovation in your organisation
Course content
Why closed, in-house innovation is no longer enough — and what opening up can unlock.
The two directions of open innovation, and how to use each to your advantage.
How to mobilise external talent and crowds to solve problems and generate ideas.
Building the platforms and partnerships that let innovation flourish around you.
How to stay open while protecting intellectual property and managing the risks.
Embedding open innovation into your strategy, culture and day-to-day ways of working.
Who it's for
This course is ideal for innovation leaders, product and R&D managers, entrepreneurs and strategists who want to accelerate innovation by working beyond their organisation's boundaries.
No prerequisites are required — just a drive to innovate differently.
Your certificate
On successful completion, you'll earn an official certificate from Harvard — a globally recognised credential you can add to your CV and LinkedIn to demonstrate your innovation expertise.
Innovate beyond your walls.
Enrol in Open Innovation, or talk to an advisor about the right Harvard course for your goals.