Digital disruption of optimal co-innovation configurations

We evaluate the co-innovation trajectory of firms adopting different collaborative innovation networks (i.e., vertical, horizontal, and institutional). The results of the empirical applications are obtained from a multilevel regression, and a Nash bargaining model estimated via data envelopment analysis on a sample of 734 enterprises from seven OECD countries form Europe and Latin America. Findings point to important national and firm-level distinctions across the optimal co-innovation configurations: whereas vertical co-innovation strategies are characteristic of firms with the highest innovation efficiency, institutions are frequently found to be optimal for co-innovation success in less developed innovation systems that may be faced with structural deficiencies. However, digital competency is found to disrupt co-innovation configurations for successful innovation, facilitating the development of efficient vertical and horizontal co-innovation trajectories.© 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

Learning from success and failure : implications for entrepreneurs, SMEs, and policy

Despite the valuable contributions of earlier learning studies, the specific analysis of how entrepreneurs and small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) learn has been sidelined in the literature. Significant research opportunities remain open in various unexplored realms. By adopting a multidisciplinary perspective that combines a variety of frameworks (i.e., organizational, economic, and innovation management), the collection of 11 studies of this special issue dedicated to learning delivers valuable insights into how entrepreneurs and SMEs capitalize on learning processes, while identifying how these processes are affected by the type of experience (i.e., success and failure). This paper first overviews the contributions of the 11 papers included in the special issue. Next, we discuss a number of yet unresolved topics that deserve academic attention, paying special attention to entrepreneurs’ direct and indirect experiences, knowledge obsolescence caused by technology upgrading, and the role of digital technologies—i.e., Internet-of-things and artificial intelligence—in the learning processes.© The Author(s) 2024. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

Knowledge-intensive territorial servitization : regional driving forces and the role of the entrepreneurial ecosystem

This study analyses how regional manufacturing characteristics—i.e., specialisation and size of new manufacturers—and the entrepreneurial ecosystem—contextual factors driving entrepreneurial actions—impact the rate of new knowledge-intensive business service (KIBS) firms. Our spatial analysis of 121 European regions reveals that the entrepreneurial ecosystem plays a decisive role in supporting KIBS formation rates in territories with a solid industrial fabric. The economic potential of more attractive neighbouring regions can be detrimental to regional KIBS formation rates. The study offers valuable implications on how the entrepreneurial ecosystem can facilitate the interaction between manufacturing and KIBS firms.fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

Structuring servitization-related research

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to organize and connect past research from different servitization-related scholarly communities. Design/methodology/approach - This study reviews more than 1,000 articles by combining author co-citation and qualitative content analyses. Findings - The structure and boundaries of the field are mapped, and the characteristics of the three identified servitization-related communities are assessed qualitatively. These three communities are product-service systems, solution business, and service science. The findings demonstrate that a narrow range of theories and qualitative methods dominate in existing research. Originality/value - Through the lens of the sociology of science, this review critically evaluates servitization-related research and offers a list of themes that are considered important to the future development of the field. Regarding future research, the main recommendations are as follows: increasing the use of well-established theories from adjacent mature fields, borrowing ideas from different research communities to stimulate knowledge accumulation within and across communities, and reducing the level of description while increasing the number of confirmatory, quantitative, and longitudinal research designs. Finally, the development of formal structures for socialization (e.g. conferences and special issues) could allow the field to achieve a greater degree of scientific maturity and would influence the direction and pace of the development of servitization-related research.fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

Make-or-buy configurational approaches in product-service ecosystems and performance

This research examines firm boundary configurations for manufacturers' product-service offerings. We argue that the building of a product-service ecosystem through collaboration with service providers in certain types of business services can increase performance as a result of the superior knowledge-based resources coming from specialized partners. By using fuzzy set qualitative analysis on a sample of 370 multinational manufacturing enterprises (MMNEs), the results reveal that effective servitization is heterogeneous across manufacturing industries and across business service offerings. The findings indicate that most industries achieve their highest performance through collaborations with value-added service providers in two out of three of the service continuum stages (Base and Intermediate services); while keeping the development of Advanced services in-house. The results help to contextualize the best practices for implementing service business models in MMNEs by detailing which service capabilities should be retained in-house and which should be outsourced to specialized partners in various industrial contexts.Peer ReviewedPreprin

A transition towards clean propulsion in shipping : The role of PESTLE drivers and implications for policy

In the context of the ongoing green transition within the maritime sector, this study seeks to explore the interplay of factors influencing the development of clean propulsion technologies. We identify the drivers underpinning the shift towards cleaner propulsion in maritime operations and outline the implications for the future of such technologies. This research is a result of industry-academia effort to develop a collective vision and strategy for a consortium of companies within propulsion sector. The market drivers are identified as part of a technology roadmapping process following PESTLE framework. Additionally, we employ the MICMAC method to discern dependencies and influences among these drivers. The findings indicate that certain drivers, such as fuel pricing and economic incentives, wield considerable independent influence, whereas others, including green financing, political will, and emission targets, exhibit substantial influence but are interdependent with other variables. Overall, most of the 30 drivers identified in the study both influence and depend on other drivers, creating a complex and uncertain system. This research contributes empirically to a holistic understanding of the intricate interplay among diverse market drivers in the context of clean propulsion in the maritime sector. Theoretically, it unveils the interdependent structure of socio-technical regimes and its implications in terms of “windows of opportunity” for niche development.© 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/bync-nd/4.0/).fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

Solution Provider's Microfoundations in the Development of Product-Service Innovations

Purpose: The present paper was set out to study how a solution provider manages organisational processes and routines to support product-service system (PSS) development. Design/Methodology/Approach: This single-case study investigates in-depth one large international solution provider to understand the detailed microprocesses and routines shaping the microfoundations of product-service system development. Findings: The study suggests that technology companies should consider creating a flexible structure to unleash many types of innovations instead of establishing tailored models to foster different innovation types and avoid falling into the exploitation trap of using innovation to only support the existing business without aiming for new explorative openings. Originality/Value: The present study opens up the black-box of new product-service innovation (PSI) development model.©2020 Authors. Published by The Advanced Services Group & Aston University.fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

Unfolding the digital servitization path from products to product-service-software systems : Practicing change through intentional narratives

Manufacturers are increasingly struggling with the transition from products to product-service-software systems. Our study takes stock of the current research on servitization and digital servitization to investigate the challenging transition process from product to more complex product-service-software systems. We examine how does the digital servitization journey unfold as sayings and doings, and how do intentional narratives guide digital servitization. The present in-depth single case study spanning 8 years reveals the emergent process during the transition of a leading solution provider from servitization to digital servitization. The study uses social practices, such as managers' sayings and doings, to map the change process that unfolds first as servitization and, in a second stage, as digital servitization. Even more importantly, this study unpacks the role of intentional narratives in shaping digital servitization as a lengthy change process. For managers, this study provides a detailed depiction of the servitization and digital servitization processes, and some intentional narratives for guiding the process. Thus, the process may be challenging but perhaps manageable by using intentional narratives as a strategic practice.© 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

Unfolding the simple heuristics of smart solution development

Purpose The present study intends to foster understanding of how a traditional manufacturer can utilize the “simple rules” approach of managerial heuristics to facilitate its smart solution development (SSD) process. Design/methodology/approach The study uses an in-depth single case research strategy and 25 senior manager interviews to understand the application of simple rules in smart solution development. Findings The findings reveal process, boundary, preference, schedule, and stop rules as the dominant managerial heuristics in the case and identify how the manufacturer applies these rules during the innovation process phases of ideation, incubation, transformation, and industrialization for attaining project outcomes. Research limitations/implications The study contributes to the new service development (NSD) literature by shedding light on simple rules and how managers may apply them to facilitate SSD. The main limitations stem from applying the qualitative case study approach and the interpretative nature of the study, which produces novel insights but prevents direct generalization to other empirical cases. Practical implications The resulting framework provides guidelines for managers on how to establish formal and clear simple rules that enable industrial solution providers to approach decision-making in smart solution development in a more agile manner. Originality/value The study comprises one of the first attempts to investigate managerial heuristics in the context of SSD and puts forward a plea for further NSD research applying psychological conceptualizations to enrich the simple rules perspective.© Tuomas Huikkola, Marko Kohtamäki, Rodrigo Rabetino, Hannu Makkonen and Philipp Holtkamp. Published by Emerald Publishing Limited. This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) licence. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this licence may be seen at http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode.fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed