The Future of Work and Innovation – Thinking, Testing, Solving like an Entrepreneur

The future of work is innovation: developing new solutions to complex problems. Learn how successful entrepreneurs use research skills to rapidly develop and test innovative solutions, and how to adapt your own skills to solve the kinds of real-world problems you’ll face in your future of work.

Whether you stay in academia or pursue a career in industry, you’ll face professional landscapes that are being rapidly reshaped by disruption. You’re going to have to solve problems, sometimes fast.

Entrepreneurs have borrowed from researchers to learn skills like framing problems, using data, and understanding cause and effect. Researchers can borrow those tools back again to create innovative solutions.

You don’t have to be an entrepreneur to have an entrepreneurial mindset. Whether you’re imagining an improved first-year orientation, a response to a coming technological disruption, or an innovative business of your own, entrepreneurial problem-solving can help you get there faster and more efficiently.

Learning how to think, test, and solve like an entrepreneur will help you make the most of skills you’ve already developed through your HDR program.  In this module, you’ll learn practical, hands-on tools and strategies to create change and implement real-world solutions to real-world problems.

Module Themes:

The future of work is changing fast.  Flourishing through change is all about adapting and seeing a challenge as an opportunity.  In this module, you’ll learn how entrepreneurs use that mindset to turn problems into solutions.

Part 1 of the module offers an overview of key entrepreneurial methods and approaches to problem solving, including how entrepreneurs approach disruption as an opportunity rather than a threat, estimate the value of an opportunity, and compare opportunities. You’ll identify opportunities to create value while acting on your personal values and passions.

Part 2 of the module focuses on rapidly testing potential solutions through “lean” experiments.  You’ll learn how entrepreneurs identify what assumptions most need to be tested, plan a rapid experiment, and develop prototypes they can test. You’ll walk through the steps of planning your own lean experiment.

Learning Outcomes:

Upon completing this module, students should be able to:

• Recognise opportunities to create value through your work
• Understand how to plan and run “lean” experiments
• Be familiar with core entrepreneurial concepts
• Self-reflect on your experience, strengthening your resilience and adaptability

Who Should Enrol?

This module is suitable for all Higher Degree by Research students of all disciplines.

2023 Delivery Dates