Course overview
The Global Innovation Challenge is a project-based course in which international master students work as external consultants on a business challenge of a given company or business unit that requires innovation and a transformational approach. The aim of the course is to offer master students a pedagogical and professional experience and the opportunity to innovate within the industry. This project is part of the Global Innovation Challenge initiative, an alliance of 8 top business schools at global scale, and aims to enhance students’ innovation and creativity skills, knowledge in transformation, change management and creating business solutions with global impact.
Examples of innovation project topics:
- Develop innovative solutions to improve the holistic environmental footprint of a company’s product (including sourcing, ecosystem of retailers and consumers);
- HR area innovations for the 2030 horizon;
- Project management audit in the company;
- Business model development for a new market;
- New product development.
Academic year
2024/25
Duration and dates
2 weeks from June 29 to July 11, 2025
Teaching format
Face-to-Face in Lisbon, Portugal
Coordinators
Kyryl Lakishyk and Nuno Moreira da Cruz
Biography
Kyryl Lakishyk is a Professor of Marketing (MSBA, PhD from John M. Olin School of Business, Washington University) and the Dean for Master Programs in CATÓLICA-LISBON School of Business & Economics. He taught a variety of courses in Marketing, Strategic Marketing, Branding and Business Innovation at Undergraduate, Masters and Executive levels. His prior industry and consulting experience includes non-profit sector (United Nations Development Project, The American Review of Public Administration), communication agencies (C’Est La Vie Productions), pharma services (start-up Yäbulu.com), FMCG and luxury products (Delta Cafes, L’Oreal PT, One Watch Company, Vista Alegre) and online brands (Fixeads, OLX Group). His professional interests lie in consumer insights for product and service innovation, branding of consumer and luxury products, and technology. Kyryl’s academic activities are focused on developing educational innovations and content in his role of Academic Director of MSc Programs in Management at CATÓLICA-LISBON and coordinator of the Leading Brands executive program.
Nuno Moreira da Cruz is the Dean for Executive Education in CATÓLICA-LISBON School of Business & Economics. He has a Law Degree from Catholic University in Lisbon (UCP), a master’s degree in European Studies at the College of Europe in Bruges (Belgium) and an MBA from IE Business School (Madrid). After a short experience in the banking sector, Nuno joined the Bp Group holding several business jobs around Europe, working in Brussels, Madrid and London. Nuno returned to Portugal to join Galp as a Board Member and was CEO of Galp Spain in the past five years. In Católica Lisbon School of Business and Economics Nuno teaches “Responsible Business” in Masters, “Strategic CSR” and “Business Ethics” in Undergraduate Programs, and serves as a the Program Director for two Executive Education Programs (Responsible Business and PAGE). He is also a Certified Coach (Escuela Europea de Coaching, Madrid) and Mentor for Start Up’s. Nuno is currently the Executive Director of the Center for Responsible Business & Leadership at Católica-Lisbon.
Learning outcomes
On completion of this course a student should be able to:
A. Knowledge and Understanding:
- Identify organizational business transformation and change management processes
- Identify industry and topical trends with impact on business challenges
B. Subject-Specific Skills:
- Identify and articulate organizational challenges
- Apply effective data collection techniques
- Use analytical frameworks to organize data analysis
- Interpret analysis
- Develop implementable and impactful solutions
- Apply storytelling to client deliverables
- Prepare project reports and client presentations
C. General Interpersonal Skills:
- Effectively work in teams in a multicultural environment
- Develop task allocation, compartmentalization and workstream capabilities
- Remote management and leadership skills
Course content
The course consists of two weeks of theoretical sessions, company briefing, online fieldwork and teamwork. The course includes fieldwork that consists of working with a client organization to define the challenge, gather relevant data, analyze data, generate and evaluate alternative solutions, and present the proposed solution to the decision-makers. The course develops the interaction between students and client organizations by using a collaborative consulting methodology that contributes to understand and solve management and business transformation challenges.
Students are expected to mobilize and apply the management knowledge acquired during the first year of the program, gather further knowledge if relevant, and continually involve the client in the generation of solutions to get feedback along with the project and build-up commitment for implementation. The presented methodology is used only to create a baseline of explicit knowledge from what is the typical problem resolution process:
- Step 1: Identification: What is the problem? (Definition and understanding)
- Step 2: Disaggregation: What are the main root causes? (Disaggregation and prioritization)
- Step 3: Validation: What should be analyzed? (Information and interpretation)
- Step 4: Recommendations: What are the solutions? (Recommendations and communication)
This methodology helps students develop their own approaches in a coordinated and structured manner. Students sign a confidentiality agreement protecting the company’s data.
Course value
6 ECTS
Required background
Students are required to have completed one semester of coursework at the Master's level in one of the participating business schools.
Assessment
The evaluation for this course is based on the group project follow up, the final presentation and peer evaluation. It has three components:
- Internal evaluation by the project coordinator at the host school, based on the focus, structure and content of the recommendations;
- External evaluation by the company’s project leader, based on the performance of the transformation project team and the content of the deliverables (adequacy and applicability);
- Peer evaluation (guarantees an individual grading).
Bibliography
- Wickham, L. and Wilcock, J., 2016, Management Consulting. Delivering an Effective Project, Prentice Hall, 5th edition
- Minto, B., 2008, The Pyramid Principle: Logic in Writing and Thinking, Financial Times/ Prentice Hall, 3rd edition
- Zelazny, G., 2006, Say It with Presentations, Second Edition, Revised & Expanded: How to Design and Deliver Successful Business Presentations, McGraw-Hill Professional, 2nd edition
- Zelazny, G., 2011, Say It With Charts: The Executive’s Guide to Visual Communication, McGraw-Hill Professional, 4th edition
Extra cost
Travel and accommodation costs in Lisbon, plus an additional 150 EUR to the organizing school.
Miscellaneous information
Groups are formed prior to arrival.
About the School
Católica Lisbon School of Business and Economics is the Portuguese reference school in management research and teaching, which combines world-class international Faculty and students, strong and diverse academic programs, innovative learning initiatives, unique partnerships with the most prestigious international schools, and a close relationship with the corporate world.
Católica Lisbon School of Business and Economics generates original research and uses it to have a strong impact on society by providing practical guidance to managers and decision makers.
