Research Methods in Service Innovation provides an essential methodological toolbox for researchers, students and practitioners interested in better understanding innovation and improving innovation processes in service organisations. Each chapter presents a specific method, introduces its theoretical foundations, explains its practical application, and provides examples and suggestions for its implementation.

The methods described include original and innovative methodological approaches, such as technology-oriented scenario analysis, experiments and laddering, as well as critical incident techniques, social network analysis, blogs, visual techniques, narratives and future workshops. Together, the chapters encourage readers to understand service innovation research as a process that requires creative methodological thinking. The book adapts various methods and processes from different areas of research, and evaluates their strengths, limitations and possible applications in specific areas of service innovation.

Researchers and academics will find this collection to be an essential state-of-the-art resource for research in the fields of service innovation and innovation in general. The book will also appeal to practitioners and consultants dealing with both public and private service organisations.

Contributors include: C. Forder, L. Fuglsang, N.N. Grunbaum, A.V. Hansen, F. Lapenta, J.K. Moller, A.R. Olesen, A. Scupola, F. Sorensen, J. Sundbo

About the Author
Edited by Flemming Sorensen, Department of Social Sciences and Business and Francesco Lapenta, Department of Communication and Humanities, Roskilde University, Denmark

Reviews
'This is a valuable book offering a systemic overview of research methods in the domain of service innovation. It provides guidance for cutting edge qualitative research in this field, also highlighting avenues for quantitative analyses. Hence the volume designs a unique set of tools and insights the academic community, students and practitioners can explore and use.' -- Antonello Zanfei, University of Urbino, Italy
'Service innovation studies has made significant advances over recent years. This book constitutes a decisive further step in strengthening and legitimizing these advances. It contributes to fill an important gap regarding research methodologies for service innovation. It presents a dozen innovative methods, discussing their socio-economic and political basis and applying them to concrete cases. For this contribution, the book constitutes a valuable tool for service scholars and service practitioners alike.' -- Faiz Gallouj, University of Lille, France
'Research into service innovation has been rapidly growing, but there has been a lack of an overview of the methodological alternatives to this research. This excellent book fills the gap. It provides theoretical starting points for methodological choices and presents several individual techniques to be used in practice: narratives, visual mapping, futures workshops and field experiments, for instance. This book serves very well the needs of both researchers and students.' -- Marja Toivonen, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland



Book Information
ISBN 9781785364853
Author Flemming Sorensen
Format Hardback
Page Count 256
Imprint Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd
Publisher Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd