Patterns of innovation in service industries
Ian Miles
The diversity of service activities means that service innovations and innovation processes
take various forms. In this paper, we use input/output and other data to depict how service
industries vary in such areas as products, markets, work organization, and technological
characteristics—most being very distinctive from primary industries (i.e., extractive industries
such as agriculture, fisheries, forestry, mining, petroleum, quarrying, and the like) and
secondary industries (i.e., manufacturing, construction, and utilities). Innovation survey data
indicates that some service organizations behave very much like high-technology
manufacturing. This is especially true of technology-based, knowledge-intensive business
services (T-KIBS). Distinctive innovation patterns are displayed by KIBS based more on
professional knowledge and by large network-based service firms, while many smaller
service firms conform to a supplier-driven pattern. Only a small segment of service innovation
conforms to the typical manufacturing-based model, in which innovation is largely organized
and led by formal research and development (R&D) departments and production engineering.
Project management and on-the-job innovation are common ways of organizing service
innovation. Innovation policy and management have to be much more than R&D policy and
R&D management: This is recognized by some national governments and in some business
schools, but the full implications of a service-dominant logic are still rarely found.
Ian Miles: Manchester Institute of Innovation Research,
Manchester Business School. Professor Miles received
a B.Sc. degree in psychology from the University of Manchester.
He was trained as a social psychologist and is professor of
technological innovation and social change at the Manchester
Institute of Innovation Research. His main research interests
are knowledge-intensive business services, service innovation,
information society, and foresight. Many of his publications are
available online.
Ver Documento en:
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario