Front-line employee-based experience innovation in tourism

Abstract

The chapter discusses the role that front-line employees can play in experience innovation; the organizational conditions for front-line employees to play that role; and how bottom-up innovation processes can contribute to the transition from service to experiences in tourism companies. The method employed is that of innovation field experiments. The experiment was carried out in Tivoli Gardens. The chapter suggests new strategic approaches to innovation procedures in tourism companies. Involving front-line employees in innovation processes becomes central for tourism companies that want to go beyond service production and create new value for guests/visitors, for the organization and its employees. At the same time, the findings point to the fact that organizational changes are needed to accommodate the value creation and innovations deriving from this change, and that the employees can contribute to and participate in the organizational innovation needed.