Service innovation: managing innovation from idea generation to innovative offer

This descriptive report has explored the relation between management in service firms, service characteristics and firm characteristics during the innovation processes of service firms operating at the Dutch market. The research items have been profiled on the basis of a theoretical review of the service management literature. Differences in definitions, typologies, approaches, schools of thought, characteristics, innovation types, dominant innovation motives, service design, organizational features and management have been considered, and it is proposed that the organization of an innovation process within service firms is contingent with the type of service offered. The report concentrates on the relation between service firm characteristics, service characteristics and management aspects of the innovation process within service firms. In order to highlight these differences, the service framework of Slivestro et al. 1992, extended with a new description “installation service” and the innovation descriptions of the community innovation survey (CIS) extended with the new description “recombinatorial innovation” are used to guide the research activities. Research in service innovation is highly relevant since great changes take part in this growing industry. During the last three decades scale and complexity of services increased considerably due to increased competition, social and political changes, critical customers and easy access information. All these changes force service organizations to innovate. Despite the widely acknowledged importance of the service industry, it is the least studied and least understood part of the economy. A valuable contribution to the conceptual clarity of service innovation initiatives and managerial aspects is presented in this report, concluding that the innovation process of service firms is contingent upon their service characteristics and type of innovation.