Operationalisation of service innovation: a systems thinking approach

ABSTRACT

This paper initialises an effort to explore the impact of an innovative systems thinking approach for service operations design on creating innovation. A qualitative exploratory case study approach in two of the UK’s service sector departments was conducted, using face-to-face semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and extractions from both observations and documents. The results identify that operationalising service innovation is positively linked with applying the Vanguard Method for service operations design. Twelve micro-determinants for service innovation operationalisation have been identified that reside at three different levels in the service organisation, namely employees level (i.e. Micro), the functional level (i.e. Meso), and corporate level (i.e. Macro). The value of this paper is the introduction of a step-by-step guidance on how to build service operations design to operationalise service innovation, the paper also theorises service innovation with systems thinking methodology that emphasises holistic, multi-disciplinary, and integrative characteristics of the service system.

摘要

本文初步探索了创新系统思维方法对服务运营设计创新的影响。在英国的两个服务部门进行了一个定性的探索性案例研究，采用了面对面的半结构化访谈，焦点小组以及从观察和文件中提取数据。结果发现，运营服务创新与运用先锋方法进行服务运营设计是正相关的。已确定有十二个微观决定因素对服务创新的运作有影响且存在于服务组织中三个不同的层次，即员工层面（即微观层面），功能层面（即 Meso）和企业层面（即宏观层面）. 本文的价值在于引一步一步的指导介绍如何构建服务操作设计实施服务创新，本文还提出以强调整体性，多学科性和综合性特征的系统思维方法论为服务创新提供理论依据。

KEYWORDS:

• Service operations
• service innovation
• service sector
• service design
• design thinking

关键词:

• 服务运作
• 服务创新
• 服务设计
• 设计思维
• 创新
• 服务业
• 系统思维
• 运营管理

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

ORCID

Ayham A. M. Jaaron http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4190-0681