Service Innovation Management Research Articles

User participation, knowledge management capability and service innovation: e-commerce enterprises in the digital age

PurposeDespite the fact that user participation (UP) has been highlighted as an important aspect in innovation, previous findings on its relationship with service innovation performance (SIP) are inconsistent. This study aims to investigate the relationships among UP, knowledge management capability (KMC) and SIP, especially in the digital age, inspired by the theories of knowledge-based and absorptive capacity.Design/methodology/approachBased on a sample of 252 Chinese e-commerce enterprises, this study adopts a hierarchical regression analysis and bootstrap method to test the theoretical framework and research hypotheses.FindingsUP and KMC have positive effects on SIP, respectively. KMC plays a mediating role in the effect of UP on SIP. Furthermore, the intermediary role of KMC varies in different sub-paths between UP and SIP.Originality/valueFirst, this study provides some explanations for inconsistent arguments on the relationship between UP and service innovation. Second, with the consideration of specific dimensions of UP and SIP, the mediation role of KMC varies in different sub-paths has been recognized, which provides a deeper understanding of the relationship between UP and SIP. Third, this study opens the discussion about how to realize SIP more effectively in the digital age, advancing theoretical and practical developments on service innovation.

Managing service innovations at online travel agencies: evidence from China

在线旅行社的服务创新管理：中国的实证分析研究目的目前关于在线旅行社(OTA) 的服务创新管理的研究相对贫乏。本研究旨在阐明OTA的服务创新管理的具体元素。研究设计/方法/途径：本研究以携程网（中国最大的在线旅行社）为对象进行深入案例分析。通过改善已有的基于新服务开发;理论（NSD）, 以及综合服务创新成功要素的理论框架从而提出一项连贯的服务创新管理理论框架。基于理论综合以及实证分析，本研究改编，整合和改善了NSD理论框架从而为在线旅行社的服务创新管理框架所适用。研究结果：被提议的理论框架包括三个层面以及相关管理元素：1） 资源，包括利益相关者，科技和系统；2）应用环境，包括创新战略，结构和文化；以及3）构思能力，包括概念生成，概念应用。管理元素与不同的成功要素相结合。这些层面，管理元素和成功因素作为提出框架的组成部分。研究理论限制/启示：本研究为学术领域提供了分析框架，从而进一步了解和诠释了在线旅行社的服务创新，从而作为今后研究的起点。研究实践启示：本分析框架促使在线旅社管理者在服务创新中借用更加结构化的方法，并且鼓励政策制定者来设计相关的干预措施研究原创性/价值：本研究提供了在中国的环境下迈向在线旅社服务创新的第一步。提议的框架对其他产业也存在潜在贡献。

Knowledge Management Processes and Service Innovation: Key Insights from Saudi International Airports

This study aims to examine the influence of knowledge management processes and organizational creativity on service innovation for international airports in Saudi Arabia. A questionnaire was used to collect data from a convenient sample of 315 respondents. The results extend the “spiral” knowledge assumption to include knowledge sharing and application processes. The study finds that knowledge creation has a significant positive impact on knowledge sharing, which in turn influences knowledge application. Moreover, knowledge management processes have a significant positive impact on organizational creativity, whereas organizational creativity does not have any impact on service innovation.

Cooperation and Interaction between Village and Sub-District Government in Administration Services Innovation: An Evidence in Lampung Province Indonesia

This study briefly analyzes the interaction process between village and sub-district government actors in the management of population administration service innovation. The research method used is a qualitative descriptive approach. The data were obtained through primary data and secondary data. Qualitative data analysis begins with collecting data through interviews and studying relevant various documents which related to the object of research, then reporting the results of the research. The results showed that there was an imbalance in the process and interaction between actors, the village government and the Village Consultative Body. The head of a village at the end of his term is not required to provide a report so that the evaluation function of the performance assessment does not run optimally. However, the governance of public service innovation in several villages in South Lampung has involved universities through various collaborations such as the implementation of community Service and research activities. The findings also reveal that research and partnership activities optimize improving the service administration system. Furthermore, the actors have played a role in carrying out the socialization of the implementation of innovation programs to accelerate the realization of independent villages

Service innovation management in a modern economy: Insights on the interplay between firms’ innovative culture and project-level success factors

Despite the growing importance of the service industry in modern economies, research on service innovation success has been far less prolific than has work on product innovation, and there is still a relative paucity of knowledge about the key factors to achieve new service success. The study of the relationships among these factors has also received very little attention and provides a significant opportunity for theoretical developments and managerial insights in service innovation. In this study, data drawn from a sample of 502 hotels and knowledge-intensive business service firms located in Spain allows testing the relationships among organizational and project-level success factors in new service development. Empirical evidence reveals several routes of effects useful to trigger external new service performance or market success, and internal new service performance, or the satisfaction, motivation, and commitment of front-line employees. Some relevant insights for managers include illustrating the crucial role of service firms’ innovative culture to configure project-level success factors; highlighting the social aspects of top management's support to the new service project; underlying the importance of human resource management practices during new service development for new service success, and the motivating effects that new service advantage has among front-line employees.

Service Innovation Readiness of Health Institutions during COVID-19: A Perspective from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

The purpose of the research was to explore the factors which affect service innovation in organizations and how the utilization of resources can improve organizational performance, and gain a competitive advantage by adopting numerous innovative practices. This study hypothesizes Service Innovation Readiness (SIR) to consist of Strategic Alignment favoring Service Innovation (SASI) and Empowering Structure for Service Innovation (ESSI), which regulate the organization's preparedness to adopt service innovation changes. Six dimensions were identified and analyzed to understand their effects on SASI and ESSI. A structured questionnaire on a 5-point Likert scale was used to collect data from the selected hospitals of Saudi Arabia. The research results contribute considerably to the subject matter by theorizing SIR and the complex variable settings essential for embracing SI. This research also provides some understanding of the service innovation management dimension through a complete assessment that measures the organization's readiness and attempts to direct organizations' efforts to achieve and sustain competitive advantage. The study conducted is unique in the current geographic limits and has explored numerous SI areas of an organization's readiness to adopt service innovation.

Capacidades de marketing e vantagem competitiva de destinos turísticos

Objetivo: Este artigo tem como objetivo investigar em um determinado grupo de destinos turístico o efeito potencial de mediação das capacidades de marketing (capacidade de inovação de serviços, capacidade de branding, hospitalidade e gestão de relacionamento com o cliente) na relação estabelecida entre a orientação para o mercado e a vantagem competitiva das empresas do setor de hospitalidade e sua influência na competitividade do destino turísticoMetodologia: Um levantamento foi realizado em 8 cidades turísticas, totalizando 472 empresas do setor de hospitalidade. Como o objetivo do estudo é verificar a relação e a mediação entre construtos a técnica estatística escolhida foi Modelagem de Equações Estruturais (MEE).Principais resultados: O primeiro resultado foi comprovar a existência da relação entre a orientação para o mercado e a vantagem competitiva depois foi possível empiricamente demonstrar que a capacidade de inovação, capacidade de branding, hospitalidade fazem mediação entre a relação da orientação para o mercado e a vantagem competitiva.Contribuições teóricas/metodológicas: As principais contribuições deste artigo são demonstrar as relações de mediação das capacidades de marketing (capacidade de inovação de serviços, capacidade de branding, hospitalidade e gestão de relacionamento com o cliente) na relação entre orientação para o mercado e a vantagem competitiva.

Service innovation, customer satisfaction and behavioural intentions: a conceptual framework

Purpose This paper aims to propose a conceptual framework to investigate the influences of innovative services on customer satisfaction and behavioural intentions. As service innovation has been focusing on the influences of product and technology innovation, this paper provides another insight into service innovation. Design/methodology/approach The proposed conceptual framework is based on findings from reviewing key theories and concepts, together with relevant literature in the service operation management, service innovation and hospitality management. Findings The proposed conceptual framework can be used to test empirically and explicate customer satisfaction and behavioural intentions towards service innovation of the hospitability operations. There are seven determinants can influence customer satisfaction: innovative mechanic clues, innovative humanic clues and innovative functional clues to influence customer transaction-specific satisfaction; complexity, meaningfulness, novelty and affordability to influence customer overall satisfaction. Customer expectation is formed by social factors, information, knowledge and their need to influence their actual perception, and the comparison between customers’ expectation and actual perception cause their satisfaction. The relationships amongst transaction-specific satisfaction, overall satisfaction and behavioural intentions can explain customer satisfaction comprehensively as a process of before, during and after their perception. Practical implications This paper highlights the importance of innovative service delivery and customers’ evaluation to contribute to creating service innovation. A synthetic definition of service innovation emphasised can help practitioners to define key determinants to effectively influence customer satisfaction and their behavioural intentions. Thus, marketing strategy aligned with operation management, can be practised appropriately. Originality/value This study provides key determinants to influencing customer satisfaction of service innovation through innovative service delivery in the hospitality operation, based on key theories and relevant literature.

Perceived service innovation in non-profit sports clubs: the antecedents and consequence

ABSTRACT Research question: In spite of the increasing significance of service innovation and customer knowledge management (CKM) as key resources for sports organisations, little sport management research has examined the role of innovation in the relationship between CKM and consumers’ behavioural intentions. Using the perceived innovation as a bridge, in this study, we tested whether CKM can predict behavioural intentions of customers. Research methods: Participants (N = 578) were recruited from non-profit sports clubs in Iran. Structural equation modelling was applied to test the research model. Results and Findings: The results revealed that CKM is an antecedent of innovation with creativity as a mediation path, as well as customer behavioural intention as a consequence of innovation. Moreover, CKM in total, contributed to the enhanced behavioural intention. Implications: According to customers’ perceptions, non-profit sports clubs can generate new ideas and improve innovation in their services by enhancing customer knowledge, especially through customer-staff relationships. This study highlights the significance of perceived innovation and creativity in promoting customers’ behavioural intentions at non-profit sports clubs.

Commercial Value and service innovation management of Lahos elders in the Internet age

Lahos elders are outperformers among the old population, featuring good physical conditions, new ideas and strong consumption power. In the Internet age, Lahos elders boast tremendous market potential, and it is a focus of the old age market to grasp the market opportunities, explore consumption features, enrich the content of services and innovate on the service management modes. Lahos elders have large consumption needs, set store by socializing activities, and pursue quality in consumption. Innovative services that are characterized by mutual help, convenience, enrichment, education and sharing will become a dominating trend of the old age market.

The Impact of Knowledge Management Strategy on Service Innovation Performance in Private and Public Hospitals

The main objective of this research is to investigate the comparative effect of knowledge management strategy on the service innovation performance in public and private hospitals through the mediating role of knowledge management practices. Drawing in knowledge management theory, all the organizations require a suitable knowledge management strategy to perform successfully. Therefore, this research focuses on this under-researched subject. This research benefits from quantitative and hypothetical-deductive approach. The sample of the research includes 852 therapy sections of both public and private hospitals in Tabriz. The data was collected via research questionnaire. The data has been analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) methodology. The results indicate a significant positive relationship between the knowledge management strategy and the knowledge management practices. Moreover, the mediating role of knowledge management practices was confirmed in the relationship between knowledge management strategy and service innovation performance in public and private hospitals.

Market orientation and hotel performance: investigating the role of high-order marketing capabilities

PurposeUsing the resource-based view (RBV), the purpose of this paper is to examine the potential mediation effect of customer relationship management capability, branding capability and service innovation capability on the established link between market orientation (MO) and hotel performance. It further investigates the complementarity between these capabilities in relation to hotel performance.Design/methodology/approachThe survey data were collected from 216 UK hotels. AMOS 23 was used to analyse the research data.FindingsThe link between MO and hotel performance appears to be indirect via customer relationship capability, branding capability and service innovation capability. The three capabilities also appear to play different complementary roles when affecting hotel performance.Practical implicationsThe current study offers hotel managers a ranking of the contribution of individual capabilities to hotel performance. It also helps them to make better investment decisions in developing the right capability combinations to enhance their hotel performance.Originality/valueThe research is based on integrating MO and RBV into a single framework to gain a deeper understanding of the relationship between MO and high-order marketing capabilities and how these factors shape hotel performance.

Openness of technology adoption, top management support and service innovation: a social innovation perspective

Technology has been central and has made service innovations technically feasible and economically viable. Top management support, however, plays an important role in shaping a firm’s service innovation-related strategies and decisions. This study aims to propose a theoretical framework that delineates the relationships among openness of technology adoption, top management support and service innovation within social innovation context.,This study obtained the data through a survey of 176 information technology (IT) firms in Taiwan; IT managers were selected as the data collection sources. A partial least squares analysis was used to address sophisticated data analysis issues.,The empirical evidence indicates that openness of technology adoption enhances service innovation within social innovation context. Furthermore, top management support facilitates the relationship between openness of technology adoption and service innovation.,The openness of technology adoption captures the interactions among top management support in shaping service innovation. Researchers should examine the nature of open technology infrastructure that will foster such service innovation from social innovation perspective.,The detailed findings offer practical suggestions for firms that are compelling to invest in advanced open technologies, giving opportunities for service innovation, solving social problems and meeting the new societal challenges. Additionally, firms may foster their top management’s positive intention to support service innovation by pre-planned support activities, such as allocating sufficient new service resources and qualified support technicians.,This study contributes to the evolving literature on the social innovation, service-dominant logic, and contingency theory. This analysis suggests that these perspectives offer a potentially useful view for integrating insights from different literature streams (e.g. openness, social innovation, service innovation, top management support and technology management) by examining them through a different conceptual lens, thus reinforcing existing findings.

The Impact of Knowledge Management Processes on Service Innovation in International Airports in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of knowledge management processes on service innovation in international airports in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Approach: The study applied a quantitative method to collect data via a questionnaire. A total number of 1493 questionnaires were distributed by two methods: 785 were paper copies and 708 online google forms. Out of 708 electronic questionnaires, only 85 were returned, while out of 785 paper-based questionnaires, 230 were collected. Results: The results showed that knowledge management processes (creating, sharing, and application) have a positive and significant impact on service innovation. Also, results showed that knowledge management processes (creating, sharing, and application) have a positive and significant impact on organizational creativity. Furthermore, organizational creativity acts partly as a mediator between knowledge management creation and service innovation. The results support the main role of knowledge management processes as a catalyst of knowledge-based innovation in Saudi international airports. Recommendations: Finally, the research recommends conducting such a study on airports in other countries in the GCC. Moreover, the study recommends building the capacity of human capital and to motivate employees to enhance organizational creativity in the airport sector. Originality: Developing and testing a new model that links knowledge management processes and organizational creativity with services in the GCC context.

Innovation framework for control system integrators: a pathway to seize new services opportunities in the context of Industry 4.0

Industry 4.0 presents a significant opportunity for control system integrators (CSIs) service innovation as there will be a wide range of new services to be implemented in the automation of industries, where CSI are considered key players. This paper investigated how service innovation happens, what are the drivers and dynamic capabilities for CSI to innovate, proposing an innovation framework grounded in research and in real business practices. The methodology used was a multiple case study approach based on interviews with three of the most experienced CSI companies in Brazil. Our main findings indicate that CSI innovation is boosted by specific innovation drivers that were differential for these companies because they have developed a set of dynamic capabilities throughout their individual histories. By using our proposed framework, CSI may have a reliable tool to guide their service innovation management.

Innovation framework for control system integrators: a pathway to seize new services opportunities in the context of Industry 4.0

Industry 4.0 presents a significant opportunity for control system integrators (CSIs) service innovation as there will be a wide range of new services to be implemented in the automation of industries, where CSI are considered key players. This paper investigated how service innovation happens, what are the drivers and dynamic capabilities for CSI to innovate, proposing an innovation framework grounded in research and in real business practices. The methodology used was a multiple case study approach based on interviews with three of the most experienced CSI companies in Brazil. Our main findings indicate that CSI innovation is boosted by specific innovation drivers that were differential for these companies because they have developed a set of dynamic capabilities throughout their individual histories. By using our proposed framework, CSI may have a reliable tool to guide their service innovation management.

Innovation and Co-Creation Process within a Service Context: A Matter of Choice or Necessity?

The notion of service ought to be embedded in the psyche of those responsi-ble for the design and delivery of service provision. Within an ever changing landscape, meeting customer expectations is a major priority for firms en-gaged in service provision. Enhancing the service experience lies in the con-text of innovation and entrepreneurship. The focus of innovation within business should take into consideration the unexpected, the nature of incon-gruities, process need and changes to structure. Innovation within service industries is widely recognised among researchers and practitioners as a key to gaining and sustaining competitive advantage. Increasingly, firms within service industries are placing new knowledge at the core of their strategies, especially knowledge about co-creation processes, knowledge of innovation and service design. In this context, the purpose of this paper is to explore the linkages between service development and co-creation processes to better understand the complexity of service innovation. The paper will first outline the notion of service and the context of service innovation. It will present a summarised view for management of service innovation. The paper will then move to illustrating how the creation and use of co-creation processes can be used to provide a shared understanding of what constitutes best practice.

Integrated Framework of Growth Management for Identification of Service Innovation Levels and Priorities

Growth management depends on an accurate understanding of an organizations’ current situation within the market in which it operates. Literature indicates that there is still inefficiency in quantitatively diagnosing the driving factors of service innovation and growth management. The purpose of this research is to identify the levels and priorities of sustainable growth management strategies with detailed measurements for industrial service innovation. The research focuses on the construction industry as the case context to scrutinize and compare various indexes and policy platforms for the evaluation of service innovation and the development of a diagnostic framework. The paper further identified the developmental obstacles of service innovation from 585 survey responses from construction enterprise representatives from Shanghai, Beijing and Xi’an in China, using average score method and entropy weight method. The data analysis identified the service innovation level and development priorities for the enterprises can assist in determining sustainable service innovation paths. The research then combined the competitive advantage characteristics method using a cluster analysis to develop a growth management framework of service innovation in the construction industry. The research results indicated that the majority of analyzed enterprises were in the second phase of their development, with clear policy opportunities for increasing levels of service innovation. However, the results also indicate the majority of sample enterprises were not encouraging the efforts of employees to strive for innovation and were lacking appropriate investment funding towards service-related innovation. These two weaker aspects offer a starting point for firm-level managers to consider when aiming to improving service innovation. The paper contributes by advancing the quantitative evaluation of growth management policies for service innovation. Furthermore, it provides possible measures for improving service innovation with particular emphasis on service innovation in project-based construction enterprises. Finally, it offers a practical diagnostic tool to improve industry level growth via increased service innovation.

Service innovations breaking institutionalized rules of health care

PurposeAlthough the digital era has given rise to major transformations in many industries, health care has been remarkably resistant to radical innovations coming outside the field. The purpose of this paper is to explore and explain how new ventures aim to break institutional arrangements (i.e. regulations, normative rules, and cultural-cognitive beliefs) protecting the field by introducing digitally enabled service innovations into health care markets.Design/methodology/approachThe study is qualitative and interpretative in nature and utilizes case study as a research strategy. The paper is based on data that were collected through narrative interviews and document analysis from seven new ventures participating in a start-up accelerator program.FindingsResults indicate that service innovations that require a change in the institutional structures of the health care system are enacted through three highly iterative key processes: institutional sensemaking that creates an understanding of prevailing institutional arrangements and that constructs meaning for institutional change efforts, theorization of change through linguistic device, and modifications of institutions by building legitimacy and mobilizing external constituencies.Practical implicationsThe findings provide practical insights into how new ventures struggle, navigate, and negotiate on specific alternatives related to institutional change while pursuing the introduction of innovations to market.Originality/valueThis research extends the institutional perspective on service innovation by zooming into micro-level processes of institutional change driven by new ventures. The study develops the theory of institutional entrepreneurship by highlighting cognitive processes of change, and suggests incorporating “institutional thinking” more tightly into the study and management of service innovation.

Introduction to the special issue on managing service innovation andquality: a service ecosystem perspective

Introduction to the special issue on managing service innovation andquality: a service ecosystem perspective