Innovation--Nurtured or taught?

Can wacky genius be taught? Well, she said modestly, I think we have answer when it comes to this blog--who could do this--or would?

But, apparently, people do want to read high tech snark--we are up to 11K hits since Jan.

Kidding aside, Melissa Korn took this up in the WSJ October 9, 2013, when she talked about new approaches to teaching innovation at the university level.

Out are the blah-blah lectures and in are the hands-on innovating opportunities.

Item: Luke Williams' course at New York University's Stern School of Business. This will be two days, cost $2,800, and will offer step-by-step plans for innovation by individuals and teams.

One exercise--if a cell phone doesn't work, instead of thinking the battery has run out, think why cell phones even need batteries.

Item: Columbia Business school has two new courses, one of which called Reinventing Innovation.

Whoa--pretty existential! Oh, OK--applicants have to measure their tolerance for ambiguity first. Whew.

Item: Dartmouth School of Biz--Leading Innovation from Idea to Execution. Pretty linear there. But it does try to rein in wild-eyed innovators with a lot of practical financial thinking.

There are also some innovation courses online. Check out the Haas School of Business at the University of California.

What do you think? Can this crazy stuff be taught--or should anyone with a bent be given a million bucks and a year off to do their worst? Kind of like those designers on Project Runway.