It Takes More than Two to Tango: Identifying Roles and Patterns in Multi-Actor Smart Service Innovation

Abstract

Smart service systems enable innovative value propositions based on smart products and data-driven value creation. Grounded in service-dominant logic as our theoretical lens, we argue that smart service innovation takes place in ecosystems of collaborating actors, as a single actor does not possess all required resources and competencies. We empirically explore smart service innovation using an interview study of 14 experts who were involved in real-world smart service systems engineering projects. As a result, we conceptualize 17 roles that describe the resources and competencies required for smart service innovation at an abstract level. Through the analysis of actor-role constellations in our sample of projects, we further identify four patterns that exhibit different strategic approaches to smart service innovation. Our results advance the theoretical understanding of smart service systems through an empirically grounded systematization of roles, which reflect the resources and competencies required for smart service innovation. With this study, we shed light on the multi-actor and inter-organizational settings of service innovation processes, which have been under-researched so far. Our insights are further helpful for practitioners, who participate in the smart service innovation and who need to analyze their strategic position in service ecosystems.

Exploring Potential Impacts of Self-Sovereign Identity on Smart Service Systems

“…While SSI might make the service of certain actors less relevant, it can be assumed the it will also create the need for new ones, e.g., trusted issuers, quality assurers, operators of DLT infrastructure, wallet providers, and integration services. While roles in multi-actor smart service innovation have been a topic of recent research [24], it does neither consider the specifics of SSI nor the potential strategic options for actors threatened by disintermediation.…”

Iterative uncertainty reduction in multi-actor smart service innovation

“…Smart service systems connect things and people, collect and process data, are capable of independent learning, adaptation, and decision making, and thereby automate and facilitate value co-creation in actor-to-actor networks (Beverungen et al, 2019a;Maglio & Lim, 2018;National Science Foundation, 2014). Smart service innovation denotes the process of changing the resource configurations, structures, and value co-creation processes of smart service systems (Anke et al, 2020c;Breidbach & Maglio, 2015;Edvardsson & Tronvoll, 2013;Vargo et al, 2010).…”

“…Applying an ecosystem's perspective is meaningful as smart service innovation requires the involvement of multiple actors (Anke et al, 2020c;Ekman et al, 2016;Schymanietz & Jonas, 2020;Vink et al, 2021). Organizations need to collaborate across their boundaries as the components of a smart service system are usually designed to "operate and interact with the solutions offered by many other manufacturers, used by customers, delivered by distributors, maintained by different service partners, and operated by third parties" (Kohtamäki et al, 2019, p. 381).…”

“…Collaborative smart service innovation can affect the engagement of an organization with its customers fundamentally (Abrell et al, 2016;Chowdhury et al, 2018;Jussen et al, 2019;Storbacka et al, 2016), e.g., by involving them as co-designers (Jonas et al, 2018;Martinez et al, 2010). The infusion of advanced and complex digital technologies in smart service systems is likely to require partner organizations who are specialists in systems integration, user experience design, cloud computing, data analytics, or platform business, all of which are usually not available within the same organization (Anke et al, 2020c;Djellal & Gallouj, 2018;Sklyar et al, 2019). Finally, external facilitators can help to guide actors through smart service innovation processes, e.g., by establishing innovation processes, organizing workshops, and managing innovation projects (Anke et al, 2020c;Schymanietz & Jonas, 2020).…”

“…The infusion of advanced and complex digital technologies in smart service systems is likely to require partner organizations who are specialists in systems integration, user experience design, cloud computing, data analytics, or platform business, all of which are usually not available within the same organization (Anke et al, 2020c;Djellal & Gallouj, 2018;Sklyar et al, 2019). Finally, external facilitators can help to guide actors through smart service innovation processes, e.g., by establishing innovation processes, organizing workshops, and managing innovation projects (Anke et al, 2020c;Schymanietz & Jonas, 2020). Academia has just begun to investigate smart service innovation from such a multi-actor perspective that goes beyond the single focal organization or the dyadic perspective of a provider and a customer actor, e.g., by identifying the roles of diverse actors in smart service innovation processes (Anke et al, 2020c;Ekman et al, 2016;Ostrom et al, 2015;Schymanietz & Jonas, 2020;Vink et al, 2021).…”