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Innovation in legal services: The practices that influence ideation and codification activities

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  • Bourke, Jane
  • Roper, Stephen
  • Love, James H.

Abstract

This study examines how firms' innovation practices affect ideation and knowledge codification. Building on previous studies of service innovation, we develop a hierarchic framework comprising firms’ innovation ‘activities’ and related ‘practices’. Using survey data on UK legal services firms, we then identify the individual practices that contribute to successful ideation and codification. Our study contributes to our understanding of how a structured and organised approach to innovation benefits professional services firms. Beneficial practices include multifunctional working, promoting effective team-working, developing in-house research capability, having a leadership team committed to innovation and having strong external relationships. Firms with owners from outside the focal services sector, in the present case legal services, prove more effective at both ideation and knowledge codification. We find little evidence that competition affects innovation, suggesting that de-regulation initiatives in the legal services sector have to improve if market forces are to operate effectively.

Suggested Citation

  • Bourke, Jane & Roper, Stephen & Love, James H., 2020. "Innovation in legal services: The practices that influence ideation and codification activities," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 132-147.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:109:y:2020:i:c:p:132-147
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.11.057
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    Cited by:

    1. Roper, Stephen & Bourke, Jane, 2022. "Innovating into trouble: When innovation leads to customer complaints," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(10).
    2. Karolina Mania, 2023. "Legal Technology: Assessment of the Legal Tech Industry’s Potential," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 14(2), pages 595-619, June.
    3. Maurizio Massaro & Carlo Bagnoli & Francesca Dal Mas, 2020. "The role of human sustainability in professional service firms. Evidence from Italy," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(6), pages 2668-2678, September.

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