The drivers of service innovation : a study of the drivers of service innovation in a startup firm versus an established firm in the Norwegian healthcare sector

Abstract

This study explores the drivers of service innovation in small- to medium-sized Norwegian healthcare firms. One firm is a startup with only a few years of history trying to commercialize its operations. The other firm is well established with more than four decades of successful operations. Much research has been put into the academic field of innovation and many studies have given academia and practitioners a rich base of knowledge. This is not the case for service innovation. Compared to innovation very little research has been conducted on service innovation. This study contributes to the emerging field of service innovation and has identified a gap in the literature. The gap that this study tries to fill is the drivers of service innovation. The findings of this study indicate that technology has a minor effect on service innovation regardless of developmental stage. People, customer experiences, value, ideology of management and/or entrepreneurs and management support for learning from failure have a major effect on service innovation regardless of developmental stage. Both financial assets and business model are moderated by the stage of development, the effects on service innovation are minor in established firms and major in startup firms. The academic field of service innovation is still growing and this paper encourages other researchers to conduct more research based on the findings of this study.