Mervi Hasu

Employees and users as resource integrators in service innovation: a learning framework

In order to exploit the emerging opportunities in the marketplace or in society, service organizations are increasingly interested in new innovation models and effective innovative practices. The involvement of users and stakeholders is an essential aspect in these models. This is also the basis of the service-dominant (S-D) logic. This framework replaces the traditional producer-centric view with an actor-to-actor perspective and considers the integration of resources an essential activity in the co-creation of value. Even though S-D logic has apparent implications for theorizing about service innovation, managerially-oriented research in this area is at an early stage. Product- and producer-centric practices and in-house R&D are still the focus of innovation studies, and they also dominate innovation efforts in organizations. The particular interest of this chapter concerns the integration of user-based and employee-driven perspectives in innovation. The two perspectives have until now developed separately, the latter having very few linkages to the S-D logic discussion. However, grassroots-level employees are in a key position as receivers of user insights and as collaborators with users. We suggest a new integrated approach by analyzing the user–employee interaction in innovation both theoretically and in two empirical cases.

Transactive memory systems and team innovation: A curvilinear approach

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to hypothesize a curvilinear relation between transactive memory systems (TMS) and team innovation by integrating diverging conceptual and research findings in TMS research. While increasingly argued to enhance team innovation, TMS also have negative effects on team processes and outcomes. Design/methodology/approach – The authors tested the hypothesis through hierarchical linear regression analyses using data obtained from 124 technical research teams. Findings – Logistic regressions support the hypothesis, showing an inverse U-shaped relationship between TMS and team innovation, measured by patents received. Research limitations/implications – The average within team response rate was relatively low, and the findings are driven by a limited number of teams with patents. Practical implications – The findings suggest that research teams with moderate levels of TMS are the most effective in terms of patents received. Originality/value – To the best of the authors’ kno...

Well-being and innovativeness: motivational trigger points for mutual enhancement

Purpose – This paper focuses on employees’ motivation to participate in innovation at the workplace. The best arguments to persuade employees to renew their work were searched. According to the expectancy theory (Vroom, 1964), a plausible link must be perceived for a motivational state to arise. The paper investigated the perceptions that employees, team-leaders and directors have about the relationships between innovativeness and well-being. Design/methodology/approach – The data consisted of thematic interviews with 14 persons from knowledge- and labour-intensive organisations in the public service sector. Data included material from directors, team-leaders and front-line workers. The theoretical model of Huhtala and Parzefall (2007) was applied to analyse perceptions about links between well-being and innovativeness. Findings – Results indicated that all eight possible links between well-being and innovativeness were perceived as plausible. The most common views were that high innovativeness connects t...

Moderating effects of transformational leadership between external team learning and research team performance outcomes

A growing body of empirical research examines the effects of external team learning on team performance. While previous studies suggest that external learning activities enhance team performance, the contingencies of such activities have received less research attention. This study examines the moderating effects of transformational team leadership between external team learning and two team performance outcomes: (1) accepted and published articles in peer‐reviewed scientific journals, and (2) project occupancy rate. The study was conducted with 124 research teams. Supporting the hypotheses, the findings show that transformational leadership has a positive moderating effect between external team learning and both team performance outcomes.

Learning employee-driven innovating: Towards sustained practice through multi-method evaluation

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to introduce a workshop process to enhance the learning of employee-driven innovating (LEDI) and to evaluate in multiple ways the practical effects of the LEDI process, which aimed to enhance the employee-driven innovation practices at workplace level in a public organisation. Although front-line employees are increasingly encouraged to participate in innovation, organisations lack multi-level knowledge on the practices, outcomes and effects of participation. Design/methodology/approach – A six-month development process (LEDI) was conducted to empower front-line hospital support service workers to learn to innovate and to apply this in the services they provide. The process consisted of different themes: future visions, current services, creating new services and evaluations of ideas and innovation embryos. The multi-method evaluation of the process included pre-evaluation of the generated innovation ideas, a developmental evaluation of the selected innovation embryo...

Co-development and Retooling as New Roles for Applied Research

Knowledge creation dynamics is in transition in modern information-loaded society. We need to see a researcher’s role in a new way: not only as a constructor of scientific facts but as a co-developer of practical tools. We analyse how co-development occurs between researchers and practitioners as a learning process in the context of a multi-actor application-orientated project. The co-development of a practical tool for supporting co-innovation in the public sector was organised as a learning journey. The chapter explicates the researchers’ various methods for enhancing learning between actors and between practice contexts. The co-development unfolds as a temporary, fragile path through different artefacts in a knowledge creation process guided by the researchers. It may also be characterised as an interplay between local practice-specific and generalised knowledge, which enables retooling practitioners for their future.