Technological Business Fundamentals | Technological Leadership Institute

Many of the skills and techniques our students learn in class can be immediately applied to their own work, providing real-time value to the student and their employer.

Steve Webster, TLI senior fellow and Honeywell/Edson W. Spencer Chair in Technology Management, brings 31 years of corporate experience at 3M to his course, MOT 5001 – Technological Business Fundamentals. Over the next 14 weeks, he will provide a series of short posts that focus on one idea from the class.

Most weeks it will be about one subject discussed in class, adding insight from students as well as Webster’s own thoughts.  Topics will include the dynamics of a technological enterprise, successful (and failing) strategies for such a business, and the role of each function in a company.  Later in the term, the class turns to the basics of finance, and these posts will talk about how they are used in making decisions.  

We hope you enjoy and look forward to comments.

Week 1: What is "Technological Business?"

Week 2: The Past Does Not Repeat Itself, It Rhymes

Week 3: Value Drives Strategy

Week 4: The Best Way to Launch a Product: Analyze and Decide, or Learn By Doing?

Week 5: The Beating Heart of a Company

Week 6: The Practice & Theory of Influencing People

Week 9: Even Scarier than Halloween: Basics of Accounting and Finance

Week 10: "Why Won't My Team Act Like a Team?"

*Note: weeks correlate to the week of class