... the business enterprise has two—and only two—basic functions: marketing and innovation.
—Peter Drucker
Even by out-of-date traditional measures, over 70 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) of the European Union (EU) and Sweden and over 80 percent of the GDP of the United States is service. Yet, most of the models and theories of service innovation are based on new product development for goods. This book seeks to address this mismatch of theory and practice for the benefit of those who are researching, teaching, or practicing service innovation.
This book is targeted to:
Professionals involved in service innovation;
Executives who manage those professionals;
Executives of traditional goods firms who wish to increase service sales;
Professionals or students seeking involvement in innovation;
Researchers at universities or consulting firms; and
Anyone else interested in service innovation!
The four authors of this book are university professors conducting research and teaching innovation and service marketing. Three of us are a part of the Service Research Center, CTF at Karlstad University (Sweden), a multidisciplinary center devoted to understanding service. All four of us conduct research on service innovation, read and critique current research, and teach the principles of innovation and service marketing. In addition, the four of us have been involved in service innovation as observers, consultants, and participants. We draw on both research and practice in writing this guide. We draw on evolving theory and best practice. Our goal is a book that is useful for businesspeople, consultants, researchers, and educators.
We believe that the following chapters contain guidance to the service innovator who is iterating and trying to find the right innovation process for their organization. We hope it is also useful as an indicator to consultants and researchers on topics that need further study.
Due to advances in research and innovation in practice, keeping this guide up to date will be an ongoing effort! Please feel free to contact the authors with suggestions, questions, or comments via the websites and online contacts listed in the book to aid us in this quest.