• Analyze creative economy firms, taking into account strategy, competitive situation and operational risk, capabilities and limitations.
• Explain and defend a position in creative company management
• Describe the framework for creative firm management derived from course materials
• Reflect the theoretical approaches introduced in the course as a way of deciding creative company management questions.
• Recognize creative economy business models

Since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, managers have continuously refined their understanding of how to create intended business outcomes with greater reliability and efficiency. The resulting management principles, processes, and practices have been extremely successful in creating wealth and raising the general standard of living in developed economies. More recently, however, a variety of factors, including technological advance and globalization of labor markets, has directed attention to a different set of principles, processes, and practices: those that lead to “creative” outcomes. For the purposes of this course, we define a "Creative Economy Firm” (CEF) as one that competes more based on its ability to create original outcomes than on its ability replicate similar outcomes efficiently.

In this course, we examine the nature of work and management that consistently produce valuable creative outcomes. We find examples in many increasingly important industries (design, entertainment, media, pharmaceuticals) and in expanding enclaves (product development, even manufacturing) within industrial firms. By analyzing cases across industries and organizations, we discover a core of common practice that serves as a basis for the development of a theoretical framework with strong practical relevance.This integrative approach encourages students to derive management principles, processes, and practices, and to decide how they would apply them as managers in Creative Economy Firms (CEFs).

The course unfolds in three modules:

1. Introduction to CEFs: Defining CEFs; how they are different from other firms;
2. Work in CEFs: Examines the processes, principles, and practices employed by expert innovators across a range of fields; and,
3. Managing CEFs: Focuses on the management implications of differences between CEFs and other firms.

The course's development of personal competences:

The course will be taught using the “case method” in the Harvard style, which involves high-energy discussion, debate, and interaction. Students will be encouraged to bring their own views into discussion, to share learning with fellow students, and to access theory inductively, by extracting generalizable principles and frameworks from their scrutiny of case situations. Class attendance, preparation by reading before coming to class, and participation in class discussion will improve chances of doing well in the course; theoretical materials will be developed, critiqued, and refined during class sessions, often leading to deeper and more nuanced understanding of the theoretical content than can be easily obtained from the readings alone.

In 2017,  instructor Shannon Hessel will be joined by special guests CBS Professor Sverre Raffnsøe and Creative consultant and performing artist Camilla Sort for a workshop in the Studio at CBS, that will expand the course discussion of leadership in Creative Firms. The workshop is "Understanding self-leadership through practical experience with creative tension". Students will engage in an embodied learning process, allowing them to become acquainted with self leadership challenges. These challenges include managing the creative tension in a consistently agile business environment. The workshop will include theoretical discussion on the context and challenges of self leadership in modern work life, creative and experimental exercises that involve sensory and bodily cooporation, and joint reflection on the experiences acquired. 

The course is based on a mix of cases and other materials. The following provides an indication of likely material:

Austin, Robert D., and Daniela Beyersdorfer, "Vipp A/S," Harvard Business School Case 607-052, 2006.

MacCormmack, Alan, ”Team New Zealand,” HBS case 697-040, 2002.

Thomke, Stefan and Ashok Nimgae. "BMW AG: The Digital Car Project (A)" HBS case 699-044, 2001.

Austin, Robert, Shannon O’Donnell, , and Silje Kamille Friis, ”e-Types A/S,” Harvard Business School case 606-118, 2006.

Austin, Robert D. and Lee Devin, ”Accidental Innovation,” Harvard Business School case 607-082, 2007.

Austin, Robert D., and Shannon O'Donnell. "Paul Robertson and the Medici String Quartet." Harvard Business School Case 607-083, 2007.

Austin, Robert D., and Daniela Beyersdorfer. "Bang & Olufsen: Design Driven Innovation." Harvard Business School Case 607-016, 2006.

Norton, Michael and Jeremy Dann. "Local Motors: Designed by the Crowd, Built By the Customer", HBS case 510-062, 2011.

Edmondson, Amy C. and Laura R. Feldman. "Phase Zero: Introducing new services at IDEO (A)." HBS Case 605-069, 2013.

Austin, Robert D., and Richard L. Nolan. “Bridging the Gap Between Stewards and Creators,” MIT Sloan Management Review, 48, no. 2 (winter 2007): 29-36.

Austin, Robert D. and Shannon O’Donnell, ”The Phantom of the Opera,” Harvard Business School case 608-029, 2008.

Austin, Robert D., ”The People’s Light and Theatre,” Company Harvard Business School case 600-055, 1999.

McCormmack, Alan, ”Activision: The 'Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer' Project ,”Harvard Business School case 605-020, 2001.

Austin, Robert D. and Carl Stormer, ”Miles Davis: Kind of Blue,” Harvard Business School case 609-050, 2008.

Austin, Robert D., Lee Devin, Artful Making: What Managers Need to Know About How Artists Work, New Saddle River NJ: Financial Times Prentice Hall, 2003.

Austin, Robert D., Richard L. Nolan, and Shannon O'Donnell. "The Boeing Company: Moonshine Shop." Harvard Business School Case 607-130, 2007.

Brown, T. 2008. Design Thinking. Harvard Business School. E-resource.

Sanders, Elizabeth B.-N, and Pieter Jan Stappers. (2008).Co-creation and the New Landscapes of Design. CoDesign: Vol 4 (1), p. 5-18. E-resource

Verganti, R. 2006. Innovation through Design. Harvard Business School. E-resource

“Shopclass as Soulcraft,” by Matthew B. Shepherd, The New Atlantis, 13, Summer 2006. E-resource