Purpose – The paper aims at analysing the relationships between standardisation and creativity in the process of service innovation in knowledge-intensive business services, specifically in those specialised in highly creative outputs (KIBS in design and communication). Studies on knowledge management and on service management emphasise the opportunity to gain efficiency through a standardisation of services and organisational processes. However, creative activities are characterised by informality and difficulty to be standardised. Design/methodology/approach – We adopt a qualitative research approach. We developed two case studies of medium-size KIBS specialised in design and communication, localised in Bangalore (India) and in Treviso (Italy), to identify how KIBS approach knowledge management both internally and externally and how firms structure the innovation process. Findings - KIBS can use a suitable knowledge management strategy to balance creative outputs with standardisation based on a working method. Standardisation can refer to the way the creative effort is organised and managed internally through appropriate organisational processes, approach confirmed empirically. Research limitations/implications – Main limitations related to the case study and the industry selected. We acknowledge the need to compare firms belonging to other industries to strengthen the results. Originality/value – From a theoretical point of view we enrich the research framework concerning knowledge management in services by exploring the relationship between standardisation and creativity. From an empirical point of view, our research is able to deepen our understanding on the KIBS knowledge management strategies and their impacts on processes of service provision and innovation
and through the analysis of four case studies, the article proposes a conceptual framework that emphasizes the centrality of entrepreneurial sensemaking in small and medium--sized enterprises' marketing strategies. We posit that entrepreneurs are engaged in the construction of interpretive frameworks that, when explicated and made accessible to consumers and stakeholders, legitimate novel business ideas and logics. These interpretive frameworks structure the content and processes of marketing activities. Theoretically, the article aims to contribute to the debate on marketing in small businesses shedding light on the processes underlying the formation of marketing strategies.Propositions are offered to guide future empirical research based on the proposed conceptual framework.
The paper aims at analysing the relationship between the market extension of Knowledge-Intensive Business Services (KIBS) and their knowledge management strategies. The literature emphasizes the strong relationship existing between KIBS and their customers in terms of innovation process and knowledge creation. We argue that the knowledge management strategies - in terms of knowledge codification, personalization, and knowledge creation - implemented by a KIBS is related to their geographical market extension. A quantitative approach is developed based on more than 150 Italian KIBS specializing in design and communication. The paper enriches the research framework concerning KIBS by emphasizing also the role of partners other than customers in KIBS' knowledge management strategies
PurposeIndustry 4.0 technologies are promising to increase manufacturing companies' performance through the new knowledge that such digital technologies allow to create and manage within the firm boundaries and through customer interactions. Despite the great attention on the Industry 4.0 adoption paths, little is known about the relationships with previous waves of digital technologies, namely, information and communication technologies (ICTs), and how different groups of both types of technologies link to knowledge and its related performances.Design/methodology/approachThe study employed a quantitative research design using a survey method. Submitting the questionnaire to entrepreneurs, chief operation officers or managers in charge of the operational and technological processes of Italian manufacturing firms, 206 respondents stated that their firm has adopted at least one of the seven Industry 4.0 technologies investigated.FindingsThe findings of the study highlight the positive relationship between ICT and Industry 4.0 technologies in terms of both intensity and groups of technologies (Web-based, Management and Manufacturing ICT; Operation, Customization and Data-processing 4.0), and how technologies affect knowledge-related performances in terms of products and processes, job-learning, product-related services and customer involvement.Originality/valueThis study is one of the first attempts to link groups of ICT to groups of Industry 4.0 technologies and to explore the effects in terms of knowledge-related performances as a measure of technology use. The study shows strong path dependency among ICT, Industry 4.0 and knowledge performance, enriching the literature on technological innovation and knowledge management.
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