Satu Pekkarinen

Clashes as potential for innovation in public service sector reform

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine the ongoing dynamics of the public service sector reform through an embedding process of a municipal enterprise from the field of basic social and health care services – a pilot model in Finland.Design/methodology/approach – The framework of a multi‐level perspective on transitions is used to describe the change process. At the lowest level of this perspective are the experimental niches acting as “seeds of change” represented by the case organisation, a municipal enterprise operating in the basic social and health care sector. The data consist of 16 thematic interviews with the key persons of the operating system, analysed with the principles of content analysis.Findings – The examination uncovers diverse pressures affecting niche level innovations and manifesting as clashes and controversies between old and new ways of thinking, but these clashes can also act as a platform for innovations when opened up, analysed and facilitated.Practical implications – ...

Safety Alarm Systems and Related Services: From Potholes to Innovation Opportunities

This paper examines an assistive technology targeted to ageing people: a safety alarm and the related service system. A safety alarm is not only a technical device; with the related system, it can be seen as a holistic opportunity for innovation. The operation of safety alarm systems and services depends on many critical points. Potholes lying in safety alarm systems are identified in this study, taking into account the technology, services and organizational network. The potholes are studied as sources and opportunities for potential innovation. Service, social, organizational, process and marketing innovations—combined with technology—are significant parts of innovation activity related to the ageing population. A technical device is not used in a vacuum: there is also organization and service acts, as well as the user with her or his values, appreciations, state of health, and so forth. These factors impact the variety of innovation potential in assistive technology. This paper examines the existing technology and related services as well as various innovation opportunities related to uncovering their shortcomings.

Customers as Innovators in Senior Service Markets: An Examination of Innovation Potential and Characteristics

This study investigates aging customers as innovators in senior service markets by their innovation potential and characteristics as innovators in development of well-being services. The study focuses on an initiative to develop the service concept of a foundation providing homes for aging people in Finland. The participants generated ideas on housing and rehabilitation services. Organizations would benefit from engaging users in the improvement of their services. This study provides an example of how that could be put in to practice. The study complements the managerial discussion concerning customer involvement and combines research on user-driven innovation as well as business and service development. It is of interest to managers and other actors in various organizations’ service innovation activities, innovation researchers, and researchers in service science and various aspects of aging.

Towards a More Social Orientation in Gerontechnology: Case Study of the “Reminiscence Stick”

The purpose of this article is to investigate, through a case study, how social orientation can be realized in gerontechnologys objectives. The focus is on user-driven development process of an “mStick,” which is a tool for storing various biographical material: photographs, texts, audio and video clips, and using it in elderly care services. Qualitative data were collected in 11 pilot cases. The content analysis was used to investigate how the “Gerontechnologys Five Ways”: prevention, enhancement, compensation, care, and research, were applicable especially from the perspective of social implications. The mStick acts as a prevention by offering meaningful contents to life, as enhancement by offering a possibility to utilize elderly persons resources. It compensates weakening abilities by preventing the world from becoming narrower. In care, it helps to see patients as whole human beings with unique biography. In addition, mStick offers potential for, for example, applications in memory research. The implication of this study is to pay attention to gerontechnologys role in supporting the social nature of the human being. This may contribute to renewing caring culture towards a more social and biographical orientation. Limitations of this study include focusing on the early development and implementation process with no long-term use data.