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Shawn Cunningham
Sense-making, innovation systems and institutional change at Mesopartner
Shawn Cunningham is a prominent academic and consultant currently serving as a Professor of Practice with the DST/NRF/Newton Fund Trilateral Chair in Transformative Innovation at the University of Johannesburg. His role focuses on the Fourth Industrial Revolution and Sustainable Development, where he engages in research and advisory work aimed at enhancing innovation systems and institutional change.
Professional Background
- Consultancy: Cunningham is a partner at Mesopartner, an international consultancy based in Germany, specializing in economic development. He has extensive experience as a process consultant, supporting various institutions and leaders in decision-making under uncertainty and fostering resilience within institutional networks.13
- International Advisory: He serves as an advisor to numerous think tanks, universities, and governments worldwide, contributing his expertise in technological change and innovation systems.12
- World Economic Forum: From October 2020 to August 2022, he was a council member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council for Economic Growth and Recovery, where he addressed global economic challenges.1
Research Interests
Cunningham’s research interests include:
- The dynamics of learning and innovation within societies.
- The evolution of institutions that promote resilience and inclusiveness.
- Strategies for catalyzing innovation across various sectors.23
Current Projects
He leads the Technological Change and Innovation System Observatory project hosted by Trade and Industrial Policy Strategies (TIPS) in South Africa, where he focuses on diagnosing industry opportunities and enhancing public agency services.13
Cunningham's work is characterized by a commitment to improving organizational capabilities in learning and innovation, helping teams navigate complex environments effectively.23
Highlights
I look forward to day one of the two-day workshop on Technological Change in Pretoria. The participants are mainly from public sector organisations that support or enable industry innovation.
This event is part of our Mesopartner collaboration with TIPS (NPC) to improve the strategic responses to technological disruption and change in South Africa. We call it the Technological Change and Innovation System Observatory.
https://lnkd.in/d6P_ZwEv
How is your industry monitoring technological change, and how are you shaping collective or public capabilities to exploit new opportunities that go beyond the capacity of any single company? How are different private and public organisations sensing and seizing new opportunities?
We still have a few seats open at the Technological Change and Innovation System training event at TIPS, which will take place from 28 to 29 August in Pretoria.
More information at https://lnkd.in/dPAWEzsW
The event is hosted by TIPS (NPC) in collaboration with Mesopartner
