This quotation by Elon Musk is a summary of one of the most powerful mechanisms for learning and innovating: the trial-and-error mechanism (try, fail, try again). This course, which adopts the logic and tools of Design Thinking, is built around a sophisticated simulator (business game) developed in collaboration with Bicocca University that, by leveraging on Trial & Error, facilitates and accelerates the learning of the latest managerial techniques for innovation.
This course is addressed to a very broad audience. As the topic is of great interest and increasingly central in corporate strategies, it may be of interest to all those organizations willing to start a process of internal awareness and transformation toward innovation.
The educational component, codified and validated by business experts and teachers, makes the product effective not only for experienced professionals and managers but also for younger people who have only recently entered the workforce.
This course, based on the Innovation Game, is presented as a bridge between theory and practice, helping participants to develop awareness, knowledge and skills on the topic of innovation.

The topics of incremental and radical innovation are covered.
For INCREMENTAL INNOVATION:
The development of new products and services
The conception of new digital business models
The definition of digital value propositions
The innovation of distribution channels
The creation of original communication messages
The identification of new ways to generate revenue streams
For radical innovation, emphasis will be placed on organizational variables and on the company’s ability to generate and grow innovation opportunities. For this theme, some elements drawn from Lean Startup notions will be part of the simulation.
The simulation will include decision-making steps that will distinctly address both incremental and radical innovation.
The result of the decisions will be represented in a nutshell by some performance indicators.
During the course, some tools drawn from DESIGN THINKING will be employed, such as:
User person
Customer journey map
Business model canvas
Double diamond
Open innovation
Digitization
The game is not a management system; rather, it is a training “object”, which should represent, for participants, an experience activating the “trial & error” mechanism of learning. Therefore, the outcome of decisions will strongly penalize mistakes and exceptionally reward good decisions.
Like all Stra-Le’s Business Games, a number of soft skills are also trained, which fit perfectly with the competitive and educational spirit of the game. Leadership, team working, decision making, and problem solving are fundamental skills for every present and future manager. Improvement in individual skills comes from discussion and debate within the working group, geared toward achieving concrete and measurable innovation goals.
4 days dedicated to innovation
Day 1
- Innovation: the key element in building competitive advantages
- Introduction to innovation
- Incremental and radical innovation
- Design thinking for product and service innovation
- Introduction to the game
- First team decision-making step with the innovation game (innovation decisions)
- De briefing of simulation results
Day 2
- Business model innovation
- Digital business models
- Case history
- Second team simulation
- Analysis and de-briefing of innovation results and decisions
- Innovation and strategy
Day 3
- Communicating and selling innovation
- Innovation in distribution
- Communication Case History
- New media for innovation
- Third team simulation
- Analysis and de-briefing of innovation results and decisions
Day 4
- Innovation and investment
- Case History on productive investment and innovation
- Radical innovation
- Strategy for radical innovation
- Fourth simulation with radical innovation
- Analysis and de-briefing of innovation results and decisions
- Conclusions