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Addressing the Challenge of Managing Innovation in Dependable Service Firms
[Thesis]. Manchester, UK: The University of Manchester; 2019.
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Abstract
This thesis is a response to the frustrations of myself and colleagues engaged in comparable roles, in the practical delivery of new service innovations in the context of established service firms. Our consistent experiences as managers of new service development teams, when bringing these service innovations to market, especially those that are IT mediated, are that they are frequently late, over budget and/or have reduced scope. Critical reflection on my experiences and those of my colleagues at nine established service firms, combined with concepts from the literature, has contributed to the identification of a category of service firms, termed dependable service firms, and associated proposals to manage innovation in the context of firms providing dependable services. Dependable services enable customers to achieve their desired ends but also enable those customers to coordinate their activities in time and space. Dependability is central to customers value-in-use. This means that the on-going provision of existing services is the central pre-occupation of these firms, which hinders their ability to innovate, which is a second order priority. The nature and motivations of dependable service providers are described, and managerial how to proposals are offered to more effectively manage new service innovation in the context of these firms.