Customer-Involvement in New Service DevelopmentsInsights from Spanish Tourism Firms

  1. Jorge Gallego 1
  2. Gisela di Meglio 1
  3. Juha Vänskä 2
  4. Luis Rubalcaba 3
  1. 1 Universidad Complutense de Madrid
    info

    Universidad Complutense de Madrid

    Madrid, España

    ROR 02p0gd045

  2. 2 University of Vaasa
    info

    University of Vaasa

    Vaasa, Finlandia

    ROR https://ror.org/03769b225

  3. 3 Universidad de Alcalá
    info

    Universidad de Alcalá

    Alcalá de Henares, España

    ROR https://ror.org/04pmn0e78

Show affiliations +
Journal:
UCJC Business & Society Review

ISSN: 2659-3270

Year of publication: 2019

Volume: 16

Issue: 2

Pages: 82-97

Type: Article

DIALNET GOOGLE SCHOLAR lock_openOpen access editor

More publications in: UCJC Business & Society Review

Abstract

This paper examines customer-involvement in service innovation developed by Spanish tourism firms. This is done on the basis of a broad array of management tools targeted at engaging customers in new service developments (NSD) in an effective and systematic way. A multiple case study is performed across eight innovative tourism firms in Spain. Results show a limited awareness of formal customer-involvement methods. Some firms also underline how clients may lack the necessary knowledge to be co-participants of NSD. Innovation networks are highlighted as an important source of knowledge on new business opportunities

Bibliographic References

  • Alam, I., & Perry, C. (2002). A customer-oriented service development. The Journal of Services Marketing, 16(6), 515–534.
  • Anderson, K. (2009). Ethnographic research: a key to strategy. Harvard Business Review, 87(3), 23–24.
  • Bettencourt, L.A., & Ulwick A.W. (2008). The customer-centered innovation map. Harvard Business Review, 86(5), 109–114.
  • Beyer, H., & Holtzblatt, K. (1995). Apprenticing with the customer. Communications of the ACM, 38(5), 45–52.
  • Buur, J., & Matthews, B. (2008). Participatory innovation. International Journal of Innovation Management, 12(3), 255–273.
  • Campos, C.A., Mendes, J., Oom do Valle, P. & Scott, N. (2018) Co-creation of tourist experiences: a literature review, Current Issues in Tourism, 21(4), 369-400.
  • Chathoth, P.K. Ungson, G.R., Altinay, L., Chan E.S.W., Harrington, R., & Okumus, F. (2014). Barriers affecting organisational adoption of higher order customer engagement in tourism service interactions. Tourism Management, 42, 181–193.
  • Christensen, C.M., & Bower, J.L. (1996). Customer power, strategic investment, and the failure of leading firms. Strategic Management Journal, 17(3), 197–218.
  • Desouza, K.C., Awazu, Y., Jha, S., Dombrowski, C., Papagari, S., Baloh, P., & Kim, J.Y. (2008). Customer-driven innovation: to be a marketplace leader, let your customers drive. Research Technology Management, 5(3), 35–44.
  • Edvardsson, B., Gustafsson, A., Kristensson, P., Magnusson P., & Matthing, J. (Eds.) (2006). Involving customers in new service development, Series on Technology Management, Vol. 11. London: Imperial College Press.
  • Eisenhardt, K.M. (1989). Building theories from case study research. Academy of Management Review, 14(4), 532–550.
  • Faché, W. (2000). Methodologies for innovation and improvement of services in tourism. Managing Service Quality, 10(6), 356–366.
  • Gallouj, F. (2001). Interactional innovation: a neoschumpeterian model. In J. Sundbo & L. Fuglsang (Eds.), Innovation as strategic reflexivity, London: Routledge.
  • Gallouj, F., & Sundbo, J. (1998). Innovation in services in seven European countries. Roskilde: Roskilde University.
  • Gordon, G.L., Kaminski, P.F., Calantone, R.J., & di Benedetto, C.A. (1993). Linking customer knowledge with successful service innovation. Journal of Applied Business Research, 9(2), 129–139.
  • Grissemann, U. & Stokburger-Sauer, N. (2012). Customer co-creation of travel services: The role of company support and customer satisfaction with the co-creation performance. Tourism Management, 33, 1483–92.
  • Gruner, K.E., & Homburg, C. (2000). Does customer interaction enhance new product success? Journal of Business Research, 49, 1–14.
  • Hammersley, M., & Atkinson, P. (1983). Ethnography: principles in practice. London: Routledge.
  • Hjalager, A.M. (2002). Repairing innovation defectiveness in tourism. Tourism Management, 23, 465–474.
  • Hjalager, A.M. (2006). Stages in the economic globalization of tourism. Annals of Tourism Research, 34(2), 437–457.
  • Hjalager, A.M. (2010). A review of the innovation research in tourism. Tourism Management, 31(1), 1–12.
  • Holtzblatt, K., & Beyer, H. (1993). Making customer-centered design work for teams. Communications of the ACM, 36(10), 93–103.
  • Jong, de J.P.J., Bruins, A., Dolfsma, W. & Meijaard, J. (2003). Innovation in service firms explored: what, how and why. Zoetermeer, the Netherlands: EIM.
  • Kandampully, J. (2002). Innovation as the core competency of a service organisation: the role of technology, knowledge and networks. European Journal of Innovation Management, 5(1), 18–26.
  • Konu, H. (2015). Developing a forest-based wellbeing tourism product together with customers: An ethnographic approach. Tourism Management, 49, 1–16.
  • Korkman, O. (2006). Customer value formation in practice: a practice-theoretical approach. Helsinki, Finland: Swedish School of Economics and Business Administration.
  • Kristensson, P., Matthing, J., & Johansson, N. (2008). Key strategies for the successful involvement of customers in the co-creation of new technology-based services. International Journal of Service Industry Management, 19(4), 474–491.
  • Kuusisto, A., & Riepula, M. (2011). Customer interaction in service innovation: seldom intensive but often decisive. Case studies in three business service sectors. International Journal of Technology Management, 55(1/2), 171–186.
  • Kuusisto, J., Kuusisto, A., & Yli-Viitala, P. (2013). Service development tools in action. The Service Industries Journal, 33(3-4) 352–365.
  • Lafferty, G., & van Fossen, A. (2001). Integrating the tourism industry: problems and strategies. Tourism Management, 22(1), 11–19.
  • Leonard, D., & Rayport, J. (1997). Spark innovation through empathic design. Harvard Business Review, 75(6), 102–113.
  • Magnusson, P.R. (2003). Benefits of involving users in service innovation. European Journal of Innovation Management, 6(4), 228–238.
  • Matthing, J., Kristensson, P., Gustafsson, A., & Parasuraman, A. (2006). Developing successful technology-based services: the issue of identifying and involving innovative users. Journal of Services Marketing, 20(5), 288–297.
  • Matthing, J., Sanden, B. & Edvarsson, B. (2004). New service development: learning from and with customers. International Journal of Service Industry Management, 15(5), 479–498.
  • Miles, I. (1999). Services and foresight. The Service Industries Journal, 19(2), 1–27.
  • Orfila-Sintesa, F., Crespí-Cladera, R., & Martínez-Ros, E. (2005). Innovation activity in the hotel industry: evidence from Balearic Islands. Tourism Management, 26, 851–865.
  • Padilla-Meléndez, A. & Garrido-Moreno, A. (2014). Customer relationship management in hotels: examining critical success factors. Current Issues in Tourism, 17(5), 387–396.
  • Patton, M.Q. (1990). Qualitative evaluation and research methods. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
  • Pikkemaat, B., & Peters, M. (2006). Towards the measurement of innovation: a pilot study in the small and medium sized tourism industry. Journal of Quality Assurance in Hospitality and Tourism, 6(3/4), 89–112.
  • Pikkemaat, B., & Weiermair, K. (2007). Innovation through cooperation in destinations: first results of an empirical study in Austria. International Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Research, 18(1), 67–83.
  • Ritchie, J.R.B., & Crouch, G.I. (2000). The competitive destination: a sustainability perspective. Tourism Management, 21(1), 1–7.
  • Ruekert, R.W. (1992). Developing a market orientation: an organisational strategy perspective. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 9, 225–245.
  • Santos-Vijande, M.L., López-Sánchez, J.A. & Pascual-Fernández, P. (2018) Co-creation with clients of hotel services: the moderating role of top management support, Current Issues in Tourism, 21(3), 301–327.
  • Segelström, F., Raijmakers, B., & Holmlid, S. (2009). Thinking and doing ethnography in service design. Proceedings of IASDR, Special Session on Rigor in Service Design Research. Seoul, South Korea.
  • Shaw, G., & Williams, A. (2009). Knowledge transfer and management in tourism organisations: an emerging research agenda. Tourism Management, 30, 325–335.
  • Sundbo, J. (2008). Customer-based innovation of knowledge e-services: the importance of after-innovation. Int. J. Services Technology and Management, 9(3/4), 218–233.
  • Sundbo, J., Orfila-Sintes, F., & Sorensen, F. (2007). The innovative behaviour of tourism firms: comparative studies of Denmark and Spain. Research Policy, 36, 88–106.
  • Ulwick, A.W. (2005). What customers want: using outcome-driven innovation to create breakthrough products and services. New York: McGraw-Hill.
  • Ulwick, A.W. (2002). Turn customer input into innovation. Harvard Business Review, 80(1), 91–97.
  • Von Hippel, E. (1986). Lead users: a source of novel product concepts. Management Science, 32(7), 791–805.
  • Von Hippel, E. (1988). The sources of innovation. New York: Oxford University Press.
  • Von Hippel, E. (2005). Democratizing innovation. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.
  • Yin, R.K. (2009). Case study research: design and methods (4th Ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Data source: Dialnet