Service Innovation for Sustainable Business: Stimulating, Realizing and Capturing the Value from Service Innovation

Service innovation is a concept that, for the last decays, has received increased attention both among academics as well as practitioners. Service innovation is, however, a multi fragmented concept, which often induces confusion. The main purpose of the book is to discuss and explain what service innovation is, based on contemporary research. It explains service innovation from three different perspectives stimulation, realization, and value capture.

Stimulation: Focus on the front-end of service innovation. It deals with structures, cultures, and processes that stimulates innovation. Idea management will be a central part of this where the specifics with handling service ideas, both internally and externally, are illuminated.

Realization: Deals with aspects regarding how to realize service innovations. This includes different aspects such as specific tools to be used for developing services. But also processes such as service design which aims to receive a better understanding of the customer or user. As co-creation is an important aspect of service innovation this will be dealt with. Finally, as many service innovations require behavior change (internally within the organization and externally among the receiving parties), this is also covered.

Value capture: Companies transiting to become more service oriented discover the need to reconsider old business models in order to capitalize on their service offerings. Services are often taken for granted and included in the price. This chapter addresses the problem of going "from free to fee". In addition, the chapter also deals with the difficulties that involve moving from a traditional product-oriented logic to a more contemporary service-logic.