IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/joevec/v32y2022i4d10.1007_s00191-022-00784-5.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The perils of pleasing: Innovation-stifling effects of customized service provision

Author

Listed:
  • Matthijs J. Janssen

    (Utrecht University
    Dialogic Innovatie en Interactie)

  • Koen Frenken

    (Utrecht University)

  • Elena M. Tur

    (Eindhoven University of Technology)

  • Alexander S. Alexiev

    (ESSCA School of Management)

Abstract

Sensing customer needs capabilities generally help firms to utilize customer feedback. Yet, as research linking micro-economics to industrial dynamics has shown, a strong focus on such feedback may prevent an adequate response to more promising market developments. We analyse this tension for firms providing customized services, whose innovativeness heavily depends on customer input. By drawing upon an NK search model, we simulate various interactive search strategies. Our simulations result in hypotheses concerning the strategies’ relation to innovation-based turnover. We use survey data from 292 firms to substantiate our expectations empirically. Both our simulation and regression results point to a positive influence on turnover of sensing customer needs and of customer feedback. While the interaction effect is positive for non-customizing service providers, it is negative for their customizing counterparts. The latter group may fail to exploit their inventiveness, as they concentrate on tuning new services to the specific needs of existing customers rather than turning them into more widely marketable innovations.

Suggested Citation

  • Matthijs J. Janssen & Koen Frenken & Elena M. Tur & Alexander S. Alexiev, 2022. "The perils of pleasing: Innovation-stifling effects of customized service provision," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 32(4), pages 1231-1264, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:joevec:v:32:y:2022:i:4:d:10.1007_s00191-022-00784-5
    DOI: 10.1007/s00191-022-00784-5
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s00191-022-00784-5
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s00191-022-00784-5?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Philip Anderson & Alan Meyer & Kathleen Eisenhardt & Kathleen Carley & Andrew Pettigrew, 1999. "Introduction to the Special Issue: Applications of Complexity Theory to Organization Science," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 10(3), pages 233-236, June.
    2. Eric von Hippel, 1986. "Lead Users: A Source of Novel Product Concepts," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 32(7), pages 791-805, July.
    3. Aija Leiponen, 2005. "Organization of Knowledge and Innovation: The Case of Finnish Business Services," Industry and Innovation, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 12(2), pages 185-203.
    4. Anna Cabigiosu & Diego Campagnolo, 2019. "Innovation and growth in KIBS: the role of clients’ collaboration and service customisation," Industry and Innovation, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 26(5), pages 592-618, May.
    5. Justin J. P. Jansen & Frans A. J. Van Den Bosch & Henk W. Volberda, 2006. "Exploratory Innovation, Exploitative Innovation, and Performance: Effects of Organizational Antecedents and Environmental Moderators," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 52(11), pages 1661-1674, November.
    6. Aaron K. Chatterji & Kira R. Fabrizio, 2014. "Using users: When does external knowledge enhance corporate product innovation?," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 35(10), pages 1427-1445, October.
    7. Marja Toivonen & Tiina Tuominen, 2009. "Emergence of innovations in services," The Service Industries Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 29(7), pages 887-902, July.
    8. Castellacci, Fulvio, 2008. "Technological paradigms, regimes and trajectories: Manufacturing and service industries in a new taxonomy of sectoral patterns of innovation," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(6-7), pages 978-994, July.
    9. Giovanni Dosi & Alessio Moneta & Elena Stepanova, 2019. "Dynamic increasing returns and innovation diffusion: bringing Polya Urn processes to the empirical data," Industry and Innovation, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 26(4), pages 461-478, April.
    10. 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.
    11. Keld Laursen, 2011. "User-producer interaction as a driver of innovation: costs and advantages in an open innovation model," Science and Public Policy, Oxford University Press, vol. 38(9), pages 713-723, November.
    12. Eugene W. Anderson & Claes Fornell & Roland T. Rust, 1997. "Customer Satisfaction, Productivity, and Profitability: Differences Between Goods and Services," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 16(2), pages 129-145.
    13. Fernando F. Suarez & Michael A. Cusumano & Steven J. Kahl, 2013. "Services and the Business Models of Product Firms: An Empirical Analysis of the Software Industry," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 59(2), pages 420-435, November.
    14. Fariborz Damanpour & Richard M. Walker & Claudia N. Avellaneda, 2009. "Combinative Effects of Innovation Types and Organizational Performance: A Longitudinal Study of Service Organizations," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(4), pages 650-675, June.
    15. Kowalkowski, Christian & Kindström, Daniel & Alejandro, Thomas Brashear & Brege, Staffan & Biggemann, Sergio, 2012. "Service infusion as agile incrementalism in action," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 65(6), pages 765-772.
    16. Kathleen M. Eisenhardt & Jeffrey A. Martin, 2000. "Dynamic capabilities: what are they?," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 21(10‐11), pages 1105-1121, October.
    17. Drejer, Ina, 2004. "Identifying innovation in surveys of services: a Schumpeterian perspective," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 33(3), pages 551-562, April.
    18. Kelvin J. Lancaster, 1966. "A New Approach to Consumer Theory," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 74, pages 132-132.
    19. Charles Baden-Fuller & Vincent Mangematin, 2013. "Business models: A challenging agenda," Grenoble Ecole de Management (Post-Print) hal-00869707, HAL.
    20. Ai, Chunrong & Norton, Edward C., 2003. "Interaction terms in logit and probit models," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 80(1), pages 123-129, July.
    21. Bruce Tether, 2005. "Do Services Innovate (Differently)? Insights from the European Innobarometer Survey," Industry and Innovation, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 12(2), pages 153-184.
    22. Daniel A. Levinthal, 1997. "Adaptation on Rugged Landscapes," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 43(7), pages 934-950, July.
    23. Aaron K. Chatterji & Kira Fabrizio, 2012. "How Do Product Users Influence Corporate Invention?," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 23(4), pages 971-987, August.
    24. Faïz Gallouj, 1997. "Towards a neo-Schumpeterian theory of innovation in services?," Science and Public Policy, Oxford University Press, vol. 24(6), pages 405-420, December.
    25. Windrum, Paul & Garci­a-Goñi, Manuel, 2008. "A neo-Schumpeterian model of health services innovation," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(4), pages 649-672, May.
    26. Faïz Gallouj & Paul Windrum, 2009. "Services and services innovation," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 19(2), pages 141-148, April.
    27. Gallouj, Faiz & Weinstein, Olivier, 1997. "Innovation in services," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 26(4-5), pages 537-556, December.
    28. Yoo, Jungmin & Park, Minjung, 2016. "The effects of e-mass customization on consumer perceived value, satisfaction, and loyalty toward luxury brands," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(12), pages 5775-5784.
    29. Desmarchelier, Benoît & Djellal, Faridah & Gallouj, Faïz, 2013. "Environmental policies and eco-innovations by service firms: An agent-based model," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 80(7), pages 1395-1408.
    30. Michael A. Cusumano & Steven J. Kahl & Fernando F. Suarez, 2015. "Services, industry evolution, and the competitive strategies of product firms," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(4), pages 559-575, April.
    31. Jeffrey M Wooldridge, 2010. "Econometric Analysis of Cross Section and Panel Data," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 2, volume 1, number 0262232588, December.
    32. Matthias Kipping & Ian Kirkpatrick, 2013. "Alternative Pathways of Change in Professional Services Firms: The Case of Management Consulting," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 50(5), pages 777-807, July.
    33. V. Srinivasan & G. Shainesh & Anand K. Sharma, 2015. "An approach to prioritize customer-based, cost-effective service enhancements," The Service Industries Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 35(14), pages 747-762, October.
    34. Erwin Danneels, 2003. "Tight–loose coupling with customers: the enactment of customer orientation," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(6), pages 559-576, June.
    35. Faïz Gallouj, 2009. "Services and Innovation," Post-Print halshs-01113947, HAL.
    36. Wright, Christopher & Sturdy, Andrew & Wylie, Nick, 2012. "Management innovation through standardization: Consultants as standardizers of organizational practice," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(3), pages 652-662.
    37. David J. Teece, 2007. "Explicating dynamic capabilities: the nature and microfoundations of (sustainable) enterprise performance," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(13), pages 1319-1350, December.
    38. Charles Baden-Fuller & Vincent Mangematin, 2013. "Business models: A challenging agenda," Post-Print hal-00869707, HAL.
    39. Keld Laursen, 2012. "Keep searching and you'll find: what do we know about variety creation through firms' search activities for innovation?," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 21(5), pages 1181-1220, October.
    40. Lori Rosenkopf & Paul Almeida, 2003. "Overcoming Local Search Through Alliances and Mobility," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 49(6), pages 751-766, June.
    41. Ganco, Martin, 2017. "NK model as a representation of innovative search," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(10), pages 1783-1800.
    42. Jon Sundbo & Donna Sundbo & Anders Henten, 2015. "Service encounters as bases for innovation," The Service Industries Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 35(5), pages 255-274, March.
    43. Jon Sundbo, 1997. "Management of Innovation in Services," The Service Industries Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 17(3), pages 432-455, July.
    44. Rosenberg, Nathan, 1969. "The Direction of Technological Change: Inducement Mechanisms and Focusing Devices," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 18(1), pages 1-24, Part I Oc.
    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. Zhang, Junnan & Sun, Xiaohua & Yuan, Fang & Liu, Xiaoling, 2023. "Which type of servitization promotes firm performance: Embedded or hybrid?," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 126(C).

    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. 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.
    2. Chang, Yuan-Chieh & Chen, Min-Nan, 2016. "Service regime and innovation clusters: An empirical study from service firms in Taiwan," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(9), pages 1845-1857.
    3. Desmarchelier, Benoît & Djellal, Faridah & Gallouj, Faïz, 2013. "Environmental policies and eco-innovations by service firms: An agent-based model," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 80(7), pages 1395-1408.
    4. K. J. Wang & J. Widagdo & Y. S. Lin & H. L. Yang & S. L. Hsiao, 2016. "A service innovation framework for start-up firms by integrating service experience engineering approach and capability maturity model," Service Business, Springer;Pan-Pacific Business Association, vol. 10(4), pages 867-916, December.
    5. Bettina Peters & Rebecca Riley & Iulia Siedschlag & Priit Vahter & John McQuinn, 2018. "Internationalisation, innovation and productivity in services: evidence from Germany, Ireland and the United Kingdom," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 154(3), pages 585-615, August.
    6. Rinaldo Evangelista & Maria Savona, 2010. "Innovation and Employment in Services," Chapters, in: Faïz Gallouj & Faridah Djellal (ed.), The Handbook of Innovation and Services, chapter 16, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    7. Faridah Djellal & Faïz Gallouj, 2008. "Innovation in services and entrepreneurship: beyond industrialist and technologist concepts of sustainable development," Post-Print halshs-01113906, HAL.
    8. Faïz Gallouj, 2012. "Service: innovation, performance and public policy," Working Papers hal-01111765, HAL.
    9. Lee, Hsing-fen & Miozzo, Marcela, 2019. "Which types of knowledge-intensive business services firms collaborate with universities for innovation?," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(7), pages 1633-1646.
    10. Faïz Gallouj & Marja Toivonen, 2011. "Elaborating the characteristics-based approach to service innovation: making the service process visible," Journal of Innovation Economics, De Boeck Université, vol. 0(2), pages 33-58.
    11. van der Boor, Paul & Oliveira, Pedro & Veloso, Francisco, 2014. "Users as innovators in developing countries: The global sources of innovation and diffusion in mobile banking services," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 43(9), pages 1594-1607.
    12. Jeremy Howells, 2010. "Services and Innovation and Service Innovation: New Theoretical Directions," Chapters, in: Faïz Gallouj & Faridah Djellal (ed.), The Handbook of Innovation and Services, chapter 3, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    13. Witell, Lars & Snyder, Hannah & Gustafsson, Anders & Fombelle, Paul & Kristensson, Per, 2016. "Defining service innovation: A review and synthesis," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(8), pages 2863-2872.
    14. Bettina Peters & Rebecca Riley & Iulia Siedschlag & Priit Vahter & John McQuinn, 2014. "Innovation and Productivity in Services: Evidence from Germany, Ireland and the United Kingdom," JRC Working Papers on Corporate R&D and Innovation 2014-04, Joint Research Centre.
    15. Nicola De Liso & Anna Serena Vergori, 2017. "The Different Approaches to the Study of Innovation in Services in Europe and the USA," Metroeconomica, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 68(1), pages 121-146, February.
    16. Kindström, Daniel & Kowalkowski, Christian & Sandberg, Erik, 2013. "Enabling service innovation: A dynamic capabilities approach," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 66(8), pages 1063-1073.
    17. Matthijs Janssen & Carolina Castaldi & Alexander Alexiev, 2014. "Dynamic capabilities for service innovation: conceptualization and measurement," Working Papers 14-07, Eindhoven Center for Innovation Studies, revised Mar 2014.
    18. Giulio Maggiore & Alfonso Morvillo, 2015. "L?innovazione nei servizi pubblici: un caso nel settore sanitario," ECONOMIA E DIRITTO DEL TERZIARIO, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2015(1), pages 127-153.
    19. Trigo, Alexandre & Vence, Xavier, 2012. "Scope and patterns of innovation cooperation in Spanish service enterprises," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(3), pages 602-613.
    20. Camisón, César & Monfort-Mir, Vicente M., 2012. "Measuring innovation in tourism from the Schumpeterian and the dynamic-capabilities perspectives," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 33(4), pages 776-789.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Customer feedback; Customization; Capabilities; Evolutionary search; NK; Simulation;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O32 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Management of Technological Innovation and R&D
    • D83 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness
    • L80 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - General
    • O31 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives

    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:spr:joevec:v:32:y:2022:i:4:d:10.1007_s00191-022-00784-5. 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: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    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.