IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/aal/abbswp/13-08.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

The Evolution of KIBS between Standardization and Customization: The Rise of Combinatory KIBS

Author

Listed:
  • Marco Bettiol
  • Eleonora Di Maria
  • Roberto Grandinetti

Abstract

Studies on service management have broadly discussed the relationship between customization and standardization in services. Studies on modularity have enriched the debate by identifying an additional form of service provision able to couple the advantages of these two alternative approaches. However, at the theoretical and empirical level little attention has been given to explore how service firms adopt standardization and modularity on the one hand, and whether they are able to combine different types of services in their offering, on the other hand. This question is particularly interesting in the domain of Knowledge-Intensive Business Services (KIBS). Literature on KIBS has stressed the high level of service customization KIBS can offer to their business customers, within a collaborative and interactive framework for innovation. However, scholars dedicated little attention on how KIBS develop their service offering and whether the customization is the only strategy they adopt. The aim of the paper is to explore the business service portfolio of KIBS to identify business service management strategies KIBS develop between bespoke services and standardization. Empirical analysis on about 500 Italian KIBS specializing in design and communication, ICT services and professional services show that there are KIBS providing fully standardized services and also the rise of combinatory KIBS able to mix bespoke and standard services with business characteristics similar to the other KIBS profiles.

Suggested Citation

  • Marco Bettiol & Eleonora Di Maria & Roberto Grandinetti, 2013. "The Evolution of KIBS between Standardization and Customization: The Rise of Combinatory KIBS," DRUID Working Papers 13-08, DRUID, Copenhagen Business School, Department of Industrial Economics and Strategy/Aalborg University, Department of Business Studies.
    • Handle: RePEc:aal:abbswp:13-08
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://wp.druid.dk/wp/20130008.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Marina Doroshenko & Ian Miles & Dmitry Vinogradov, 2014. "Knowledge Intensive Business Services: The Russian Experience," Foresight and STI Governance (Foresight-Russia till No. 3/2015), National Research University Higher School of Economics, vol. 8(4), pages 24-39.
      • Marina Doroshenko & Ian Miles & Dmitry Vinogradov, 2014. "Knowledge Intensive business services: the Russian experience," Foresight-Russia Форсайт, CyberLeninka;Федеральное государственное автономное образовательное учреждение высшего образования «Национальный исследовательский университет «Высшая школа экономики», vol. 8(4 (eng)), pages 24-39.
    2. Barras, Richard, 1986. "Towards a theory of innovation in services," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 15(4), pages 161-173, August.
    3. Simone Strambach, 2010. "Knowledge-Intensive Business Services (KIBS)," Chapters, in: Philip Cooke & Carla De Laurentis & Stewart MacNeill & Chris Collinge (ed.), Platforms of Innovation, chapter 7, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    4. Andreas Koch & Harald Strotmann, 2008. "Absorptive Capacity And Innovation In The Knowledge Intensive Business Service Sector," Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 17(6), pages 511-531.
    5. Jean Gadrey & Faïz Gallouj, 1998. "The Provider-Customer Interface in Business and Professional Services," The Service Industries Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 18(2), pages 01-15, April.
    6. G. M.P. Swann, 2009. "The Economics of Innovation," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 13211.
    7. F. Ted Tschang, 2007. "Balancing the Tensions Between Rationalization and Creativity in the Video Games Industry," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 18(6), pages 989-1005, December.
    8. Pim Den Hertog, 2000. "Knowledge-Intensive Business Services As Co-Producers Of Innovation," International Journal of Innovation Management (ijim), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 4(04), pages 491-528.
    9. Sundbo, Jon, 1994. "Modulization of service production and a thesis of convergence between service and manufacturing organizations," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 10(3), pages 245-266, September.
    10. Nicoletta Corrocher & Lucia Cusmano & Andrea Morrison, 2009. "Modes of innovation in knowledge-intensive business services evidence from Lombardy," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 19(2), pages 173-196, April.
    11. Marcela Miozzo & Damian Grimshaw (ed.), 2006. "Knowledge Intensive Business Services," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 3726.
    12. Muller, Emmanuel & Doloreux, David, 2009. "What we should know about knowledge-intensive business services," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 31(1), pages 64-72.
    13. Muller, Emmanuel & Zenker, Andrea, 2001. "Business services as actors of knowledge transformation: the role of KIBS in regional and national innovation systems," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 30(9), pages 1501-1516, December.
    14. Langlois, Richard N. & Robertson, Paul L., 1992. "Networks and innovation in a modular system: Lessons from the microcomputer and stereo component industries," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 21(4), pages 297-313, August.
    15. Tether, Bruce S. & Hipp, Christiane & Miles, Ian, 2001. "Standardisation and particularisation in services: evidence from Germany," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 30(7), pages 1115-1138, August.
    16. Baker, Ted & Miner, Anne S. & Eesley, Dale T., 2003. "Improvising firms: bricolage, account giving and improvisational competencies in the founding process," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 32(2), pages 255-276, February.
    17. Christiane Hipp & Bruce S. Tether & Ian Miles, 2000. "The Incidence And Effects Of Innovation In Services: Evidence From Germany," International Journal of Innovation Management (ijim), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 4(04), pages 417-453.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Nicoletta Corrocher & Lucia Cusmano & Camilla Lenzi, 2013. "Growth in Knowledge-Intensive Business Services: Evidence from Lombardy," Industry and Innovation, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 20(6), pages 563-584, August.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Carolina Castaldi & Jan Faber & Maikel Kishna, 2010. "Co-innovation by KIBS in Environmental Services: A Resource-based View," Working Papers 10-05, Eindhoven Center for Innovation Studies, revised Mar 2010.
    2. Djellal, Faridah & Gallouj, Faïz & Miles, Ian, 2013. "Two decades of research on innovation in services: Which place for public services?," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 27(C), pages 98-117.
    3. Daria Ciriaci & Sandro Montresor & Daniela Palma, 2013. "Do KIBS make manufacturing more innovative? An empirical investigation for four European countries," JRC Working Papers on Corporate R&D and Innovation 2013-04, Joint Research Centre (Seville site).
    4. Anna Cabigiosu & Diego Campagnolo & Andrea Furlan & Giovanni Costa, 2012. "Balancing customization and standardization in knowledge intensive business services: The use of modular service architectures," Working Papers 11, Department of Management, Università Ca' Foscari Venezia.
    5. repec:gdk:wpaper:7 is not listed on IDEAS
    6. Zoltán Bujdosó & János Pénzes & Lóránt Dávid & Szilárd Madaras, 2016. "The Spatial Pattern of KIBS and their Relations with the Territorial Development in Romania," The AMFITEATRU ECONOMIC journal, Academy of Economic Studies - Bucharest, Romania, vol. 18(41), pages 1-73, February.
    7. García-Quevedo, José & Mas-Verdú, Francisco & Montolio, Daniel, 2011. "What type of innovative firms acquire knowledge intensive services and from which suppliers?," INGENIO (CSIC-UPV) Working Paper Series 201108, INGENIO (CSIC-UPV).
    8. Veronika Belousova & Nikolay Chichkanov, 2016. "Knowledge-Intensive Business Services in Russia: 2014–2015 Crisis Aftermath," Foresight and STI Governance (Foresight-Russia till No. 3/2015), National Research University Higher School of Economics, vol. 10(4), pages 46-58.
    9. Consoli, Davide & Elche-Hortelano, Dioni, 2010. "Variety in the knowledge base of Knowledge Intensive Business Services," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(10), pages 1303-1310, December.
    10. Daria Ciriaci & Daniela Palma, 2012. "To what extent are knowledge-intensive business services contributing to manufacturing? A subsystem analysis," JRC Working Papers on Corporate R&D and Innovation 2012-02, Joint Research Centre.
    11. Fernandes, Cristina & Ferreira, João, 2011. "Knowledge Spillovers and Knowledge Intensive Business Services: An Empirical Study," MPRA Paper 34751, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    12. Roberto Ganau & Eleonora Di Maria, 2014. "Determinants of technological innovation in SMEs. Firm-level factors, agglomeration economies and the role of KIBS providers," ERSA conference papers ersa14p820, European Regional Science Association.
    13. Valentina De Marchi & Roberto Grandinetti & Riccardo Voltani, 2014. "Come stanno cambiando le economie regionali. Un confronto tra Veneto, Piemonte, e Puglia," ECONOMIA E SOCIET? REGIONALE, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2014(2), pages 126-160.
    14. Faïz Gallouj & Maria Savona, 2010. "Towards a Theory of Innovation in Services: A State of the Art," Chapters, in: Faïz Gallouj & Faridah Djellal (ed.), The Handbook of Innovation and Services, chapter 1, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    15. Marina Doroshenko & Ian Miles & Dmitri Vinogradov, 2013. "Knowledge Intensive Business Services As Generators Of Innovations," HSE Working papers WP BRP 12/STI/2013, National Research University Higher School of Economics.
    16. Feser, Daniel & Proeger, Till, 2015. "Knowledge-intensive business services as credence goods: A demand-side approach," University of Göttingen Working Papers in Economics 232, University of Goettingen, Department of Economics.
    17. Daniel Feser & Till Proeger, 2018. "Knowledge-Intensive Business Services as Credence Goods—a Demand-Side Approach," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 9(1), pages 62-80, March.
    18. John N. Walsh & Jamie O’Brien, 2017. "A Knowledge-Based Framework for Service Management," Journal of Information & Knowledge Management (JIKM), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 16(04), pages 1-31, December.
    19. Oihana Basilioa & Philippe Laredob & Paloma Sánchezc, 2019. "The Organization Of R&D Activities In Large Knowledge Intensive Business Services: The Case Of A “Big Four” Consultancy," International Journal of Innovation Management (ijim), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 23(03), pages 1-32, April.
    20. Nikolay Chichkanov, 2019. "The impact of coproducing services with clients on knowledge-intensive business services’ innovativeness," HSE Working papers WP BRP 100/STI/2019, National Research University Higher School of Economics.
    21. Fernandes, Cristina & Ferreira, João & Marques, Carla, 2011. "KIBS Innovation Management Capability in Rural Portuguese Regions: Empirical Evidence," MPRA Paper 47005, University Library of Munich, Germany.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    KIBS; service standardization; customization; modularity; combinatory resources;
    All these keywords.

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:aal:abbswp:13-08. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Keld Laursen (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.druid.dk/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.