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The Handbook of Service Innovation pp 169–192Cite as

Employees and Users as Resource Integrators in Service Innovation: A Learning Framework

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Abstract

In order to exploit the emerging opportunities in the marketplace or in society, service organizations are increasingly interested in new innovation models and effective innovative practices. The involvement of users and stakeholders is an essential aspect in these models. This is also the basis of the service-dominant (S-D) logic. This framework replaces the traditional producer-centric view with an actor-to-actor perspective and considers the integration of resources an essential activity in the co-creation of value. Even though S-D logic has apparent implications for theorizing about service innovation, managerially-oriented research in this area is at an early stage. Product- and producer-centric practices and in-house R&D are still the focus of innovation studies, and they also dominate innovation efforts in organizations. The particular interest of this chapter concerns the integration of user-based and employee-driven perspectives in innovation. The two perspectives have until now developed separately, the latter having very few linkages to the S-D logic discussion. However, grassroots-level employees are in a key position as receivers of user insights and as collaborators with users. We suggest a new integrated approach by analyzing the user–employee interaction in innovation both theoretically and in two empirical cases.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Finnish Institute for Occupational Health, Helsinki, Finland

    Mervi Hasu & Eveliina Saari

  2. VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Espoo, Finland

    Marja Toivonen

  3. Department of Industrial Engineering and Management, Aalto University School of Science, Espoo, Finland

    Tiina Tuominen

Authors
  1. Mervi Hasu
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  2. Marja Toivonen
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  3. Tiina Tuominen
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  4. Eveliina Saari
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mervi Hasu .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. UTS Business School, University of Technology Sydney, Broadway, Australia

    Renu Agarwal

  2. University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia

    Willem Selen

  3. UTS Business School, University of Technology, Sydney, Australia

    Göran Roos

  4. UTS Business School, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia

    Roy Green

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Hasu, M., Toivonen, M., Tuominen, T., Saari, E. (2015). Employees and Users as Resource Integrators in Service Innovation: A Learning Framework. In: Agarwal, R., Selen, W., Roos, G., Green, R. (eds) The Handbook of Service Innovation. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-6590-3_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-6590-3_9

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