RESEARCH METHODS IN SERVICE INNOVATION BY SØRENSEN AND LAPENTA (ELGAR, 2017)
1. WHAT THIS BOOK IS ALL ABOUT
Research Methods in Service Innovation is a state of the art, cutting edge, collection of methods on service innovation research. The authors tackle a serious issue: the lack of a proper definition of innovation that takes into account that service is not a product or a process as discussed in much of the literature. Despite the growing interest in innovation in the service economy, a systematic approach to research methods in innovation and innovation processes in the service economy and in service organisations was missing. Now we have it.
2. HOW DID THEY DO IT?
Each chapter addresses a method, theory, practical applications, examples and, very useful, learning points. The discussion points and methods open for further research possibilities. The methods, innovative or presented in innovative ways, include quantitative measurement instruments, critical incident theory, laddering method, narratives, visual techniques and mapping, interpretative analyses of social networks, social media data, technology oriented scenarios, future workshops, field experiments, and triple helix framework. These methods are creative tools to address issues in service innovation and service process innovation.
3. HOW YOU CAN USE THIS BOOK
If you are a researcher or student, Research Methods in Service Innovation is an excellent investment. Each article overall review of the literature gives an updated view of theories and methods. The book also offers a variety of research approaches and methods that can be applied to one’s research, including to verify previous results. It also offers great possibilities to train young researchers and advanced students. In principle, most of the chapters can be applied to cases other than those discussed by the authors. So, for instance, one could look into the banking and financing services, as well as social security. This brings me a very important audience to this book, the practitioners. The service economy is key to development, to social and individual well being, to a sustainable life and even to social and international peace. Without innovation in services and in service processes, these will be moved far way. This book is important because it is within the reach of practitioners, the people that makes it happens. Several service professionals will benefit from reading Research Methods in Service Innovation, including social security, social insurance, insurance business, banks and the financial sector, the health sector, authorities and entities dealing with immigration and migration situations and issues, the police and security services, development agencies, and aid agencies. If you work for any of these, I strongly suggest you read this book. But do more, take the Research Methods in Service Innovation to your office and say, ”I want these methods to be applied here, let us learn from the results and improve our work.”
4. MY PITCH
In my approach, innovation reduces the cost, or increase the value, of transactions. For the authors of Research Methods in Service Innovation, value, in its many forms, is of great relevance, Thus, my approach makes their work more straight forward. Innovation is a new element introduced in a network which increases the value of the transactions between at least two nodes or elements in the network. The value function includes variables not only monetary but also emotional, social, political and more. Lets see how this relates to some of the contributions. All the other articles also deal with how to create and / or increase value.
Sørensen and Lapenta highlight that service and service processes innovation research have unique dimensions, including theoretically and methodologically and the forces influencing the evolution of service innovation. Such uniqueness has often been missed because of the insistence in having service as a product. In much of the literature and public parole, innovation is presented as a new product, so service innovation reduces to an introduction of new service products. “A definition of service innovation … remains fuzzy.” The authors contribute to the debate with new interpretations of innovation in services and in service processes. For me, if we have a definition of innovation for products and another for services, there must be an encompassing approach which includes both. The definition based on transaction cost theory and network theory theory does this.
Sundbo’ contribution on quantitative measurement instruments, takes the approach that not all innovation results in economic growth. He is right. Innovation increases value. When we can not see economic growth, we have difficulties at linking the macro and the micro levels. His discussion about what to measure, input and output factors, is a brilliant guide, useful to managers and researchers, particularly when considering non monetary variables. How do we measure a customer’ feeling? How do we measure the emotions influencing transactions?
Olesen’ mapping and visual techniques presents the case of digital communications in a museum. It is a fascinating paper with an approach that can be applied in other settings. It would be interesting if this visual technique can be applied to map innovation as I have defined it. Is it possible for us to see the increase in the value of transactions in a network?
Staddon Forder approaches service innovation in complex research projects with a triple helix framework. She addresses the key issue of how triple helix projects develop. The triple helix of industry, government and universities is driven by today’s knowledge economy, as argue by its creator, Etzkowitz. Since, according to critics, the concept of “knowledge economy” has not stabilised, it is difficult to identify the three players in the service sector. Therefore this article is timely. The key elements of the research project she studies are at the centre of the triple helix and its three blades, industry, policy and academia. As she indicates, there are different world views of the helix configurations. In my approach to the triple helix, I broadened it into the management of society (which includes policy and government but it is more), production of goods, services and processes (which includes industry but it is more), and knowledge production (which includes academia and universities but it is more). This takes us closer to an understanding of the knowledge society. I placed innovation actors such as science parks and business incubators at the helix’ centre. This is also the locus Staddon Forder’ research groups.
5. WHAT IS NEXT?
Certainly a very useful book. I recommend it. It opens the possibility of applying the methods, learning points and discussion topics to one’s research and teaching. When one combines these with my approach to innovation, further possibilities for research and publication emerge. The methods can also be applied to a variety of organisations, including social security, insurance and banks. I would like to see the authors applying these methods to the Nordic social security systems and to the immigration services, both in great need of improvement.
6. WHERE TO FIND IT?
Research Methods in Service Innovation by F. Sørensen and F. Lapenta, Roskilde University, Denmark (Cheltenhamn, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing Limited, 2017). ISBN: 9781785364853 (cased); 9781785364860 (eBook).
http://www.e-elgar.com/shop/research-methods-in-service-innovation
7. HOW MANY CABRAL POINTS FOR THIS BOOK?
In a scale from 0 to 10, where ten is the absolut best Research Methods in Service Innovation by Sørensen and Lapenta receives 8.5.
Review by Regis Cabral, 19 May 2017
1. WHAT THIS BOOK IS ALL ABOUT
Research Methods in Service Innovation is a state of the art, cutting edge, collection of methods on service innovation research. The authors tackle a serious issue: the lack of a proper definition of innovation that takes into account that service is not a product or a process as discussed in much of the literature. Despite the growing interest in innovation in the service economy, a systematic approach to research methods in innovation and innovation processes in the service economy and in service organisations was missing. Now we have it.
2. HOW DID THEY DO IT?
Each chapter addresses a method, theory, practical applications, examples and, very useful, learning points. The discussion points and methods open for further research possibilities. The methods, innovative or presented in innovative ways, include quantitative measurement instruments, critical incident theory, laddering method, narratives, visual techniques and mapping, interpretative analyses of social networks, social media data, technology oriented scenarios, future workshops, field experiments, and triple helix framework. These methods are creative tools to address issues in service innovation and service process innovation.
3. HOW YOU CAN USE THIS BOOK
If you are a researcher or student, Research Methods in Service Innovation is an excellent investment. Each article overall review of the literature gives an updated view of theories and methods. The book also offers a variety of research approaches and methods that can be applied to one’s research, including to verify previous results. It also offers great possibilities to train young researchers and advanced students. In principle, most of the chapters can be applied to cases other than those discussed by the authors. So, for instance, one could look into the banking and financing services, as well as social security. This brings me a very important audience to this book, the practitioners. The service economy is key to development, to social and individual well being, to a sustainable life and even to social and international peace. Without innovation in services and in service processes, these will be moved far way. This book is important because it is within the reach of practitioners, the people that makes it happens. Several service professionals will benefit from reading Research Methods in Service Innovation, including social security, social insurance, insurance business, banks and the financial sector, the health sector, authorities and entities dealing with immigration and migration situations and issues, the police and security services, development agencies, and aid agencies. If you work for any of these, I strongly suggest you read this book. But do more, take the Research Methods in Service Innovation to your office and say, ”I want these methods to be applied here, let us learn from the results and improve our work.”
4. MY PITCH
In my approach, innovation reduces the cost, or increase the value, of transactions. For the authors of Research Methods in Service Innovation, value, in its many forms, is of great relevance, Thus, my approach makes their work more straight forward. Innovation is a new element introduced in a network which increases the value of the transactions between at least two nodes or elements in the network. The value function includes variables not only monetary but also emotional, social, political and more. Lets see how this relates to some of the contributions. All the other articles also deal with how to create and / or increase value.
Sørensen and Lapenta highlight that service and service processes innovation research have unique dimensions, including theoretically and methodologically and the forces influencing the evolution of service innovation. Such uniqueness has often been missed because of the insistence in having service as a product. In much of the literature and public parole, innovation is presented as a new product, so service innovation reduces to an introduction of new service products. “A definition of service innovation … remains fuzzy.” The authors contribute to the debate with new interpretations of innovation in services and in service processes. For me, if we have a definition of innovation for products and another for services, there must be an encompassing approach which includes both. The definition based on transaction cost theory and network theory theory does this.
Sundbo’ contribution on quantitative measurement instruments, takes the approach that not all innovation results in economic growth. He is right. Innovation increases value. When we can not see economic growth, we have difficulties at linking the macro and the micro levels. His discussion about what to measure, input and output factors, is a brilliant guide, useful to managers and researchers, particularly when considering non monetary variables. How do we measure a customer’ feeling? How do we measure the emotions influencing transactions?
Olesen’ mapping and visual techniques presents the case of digital communications in a museum. It is a fascinating paper with an approach that can be applied in other settings. It would be interesting if this visual technique can be applied to map innovation as I have defined it. Is it possible for us to see the increase in the value of transactions in a network?
Staddon Forder approaches service innovation in complex research projects with a triple helix framework. She addresses the key issue of how triple helix projects develop. The triple helix of industry, government and universities is driven by today’s knowledge economy, as argue by its creator, Etzkowitz. Since, according to critics, the concept of “knowledge economy” has not stabilised, it is difficult to identify the three players in the service sector. Therefore this article is timely. The key elements of the research project she studies are at the centre of the triple helix and its three blades, industry, policy and academia. As she indicates, there are different world views of the helix configurations. In my approach to the triple helix, I broadened it into the management of society (which includes policy and government but it is more), production of goods, services and processes (which includes industry but it is more), and knowledge production (which includes academia and universities but it is more). This takes us closer to an understanding of the knowledge society. I placed innovation actors such as science parks and business incubators at the helix’ centre. This is also the locus Staddon Forder’ research groups.
5. WHAT IS NEXT?
Certainly a very useful book. I recommend it. It opens the possibility of applying the methods, learning points and discussion topics to one’s research and teaching. When one combines these with my approach to innovation, further possibilities for research and publication emerge. The methods can also be applied to a variety of organisations, including social security, insurance and banks. I would like to see the authors applying these methods to the Nordic social security systems and to the immigration services, both in great need of improvement.
6. WHERE TO FIND IT?
Research Methods in Service Innovation by F. Sørensen and F. Lapenta, Roskilde University, Denmark (Cheltenhamn, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing Limited, 2017). ISBN: 9781785364853 (cased); 9781785364860 (eBook).
http://www.e-elgar.com/shop/research-methods-in-service-innovation
7. HOW MANY CABRAL POINTS FOR THIS BOOK?
In a scale from 0 to 10, where ten is the absolut best Research Methods in Service Innovation by Sørensen and Lapenta receives 8.5.
Review by Regis Cabral, 19 May 2017
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