Specificity of innovation in the service sector: the example of Poland

The discussion that has taken place in recent years on innovativeness in services is connected, on one side, with their growing role in the economy. On the other, it results from an increase in innovation as the main socio-economic development factor of countries and regions. Innovation is seen as an essential link in developing a strong economy, and its shortcomings may lead to an economic crisis. Innovations have become a new element playing a crucial role in crystallising a new economic model, particularly in developed countries. The growing role of services in the modern economy has led to an increased interest in service activities and service innovations. This paper aims to present the specificity of innovations in the service sector compared to the manufacturing industry based on Poland’s example. In the empirical analysis, data from the Central Statistical Office in Poland and EUROSTAT was used. An analysis of innovativeness in the service sector, based on traditional innovation measurement indicators, concludes that it is much lower than in the manufacturing industry. In the entire analysed period, the percentage of innovative enterprises in the service sector was lower than in the manufacturing industry by several percentage points. According to service sector type, organisation and marketing are more critical in terms of innovation. In their cases, the differences between manufacturing and services are minimal; however, it is more significant in products and processes.

Proposing a performance framework for innovation measurement: an exploratory case-based research

PurposeMeasurement of the innovation process performance is critical for both managers and researchers. However, existing performance frameworks (PFs) neglect performance indicators (PIs) and dimensions relevant to the current innovation landscape in companies as well as lack support in the definition of action plans. Thus, this paper aims to introduce a new and updated PF for measuring innovation performance and defining improvement actions.Design/methodology/approachThe proposed PF is developed from literature and action-oriented case studies in two European manufacturing companies. First, the literature review enabled the synthesis of framework elements into a “conceptual” PF capable of illustrating the current state of knowledge in the field. Then, this PF was applied in the case studies that enriched the conceptual form with empirical insights, resulting in a new and updated PF.FindingsThe review enabled the systematisation of nine dimensions and 259 PIs that were fragmented throughout the literature. In turn, empirical insights from the case studies gave rise to an actionable procedure for providing a comprehensive diagnosis of the company's situation considering the new trends as well as defining improvement actions. Although the results from the two cases cannot be generalised, the findings encourage broader applicability.Originality/valueThe novelty of this research resides on the fact that the PF consolidates elements from the literature but combined with empirical insights in a new actionable way that supports managers in performance measurement and provides researchers with an extensive systematisation of dimensions and PIs.

Innovation measurement: An extensive literature analysis

Research background: There is no doubt that innovation is an important source of a company´s competitiveness, but it is very difficult to measure the extent to which it contributes to the growth of competitiveness. Opponents of measuring innovation argue that measuring innovation is a measurement of the immeasurable. How to measure innovations and is it possible to measure innovations, is a question constantly posed by academics, managers, and economists all over the world. To find answer to these questions, this review article analyses scientific publications on innovation measurement published between 1968 and 2021. Purpose of the article: The main purpose of this article is to increase the understanding of the metrics landscape and to identify differences in the methods used in the past and present with emphasis on identification of statistical and econometric methods used to study innovation. Methods: To achieve the purpose of the article, literature review as a method of qualitative research was used. Data for literature review were gained from the Web of Science database. Findings & Value added: The analysis finds several metrics that can be used for evaluation of company´s innovation. The results can helps managers, academics, and economists to better understand the innovation measurement..

Under construction: action research in innovation measurement

PurposeThis paper has chosen a participatory action design (PAD) to approach the construction of KPIs in a novel way. A PAD will assist the researcher to encourage involvement, engagement of multiple stakeholders in the KPIs construction process.Design/methodology/approachA workshop series based on participatory action design was developed together with the researcher and stakeholders at the innovation department of a large international organization. PAD facilitated interaction between the researcher, stakeholders, and KPIs under construction.FindingsThe findings show that the PAD workshops created interlevel collaboration and group dynamics in constructing the KPI. The knowledge that was shared during the PAD workshops enabled an understanding of the process of constructing a KPI in innovation, where stakeholders design and implement simultaneously. In the end, it was a challenge to construct a KPI using the PAD, as certain conditions seemed not to be.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper enhances our empirical understanding of applying PAD to construct KPIs in innovation. This study adds to the growing interest in literature to implement novel methods such as PAD to construct a KPI in innovation.Practical implicationsPractically, the findings of this study will inform managers in innovation (projects) to use a method such as PAD to construct KPIs in innovation. This study shows the implication of using a PAD for a KPI and what opportunities and challenges it can bring.Originality/valueThis paper is one of the few papers that address using the participatory action design methodology for the construction of KPIs in innovation. To date, PAD is rarely used to construct KPIs in innovation.

Measuring Innovative Employee Behavior in an Enterprise – Methodological Aspects

Innovativeness is currently one of the basic determinants of development and building competitiveness in modern organizations. It is conditioned by a number of factors, among which an important group are internal factors related to the activity and participation of employees in the generation, development and implementation of innovative ideas, among other things. Modern enterprises cannot limit themselves to active adaptation, but should themselves become innovative organizations characterized by skillfulness in creating, implementing and disseminating innovations. The aim of the study is to present the concept of measuring innovative employee behavior in the internal perspective of the organization. The article discusses the main methodological problems regarding the employee innovation measurement model. The implementation of the objective required reviewing the literature and developing an independent research model. The novel nature of the issues raised, together with the high relevance of the research problem at hand, prompted the need to pay special attention to the correct design of the research process. As the literature indicates, decisions made at the design stage of research, and further diligence in implementing those decisions, determine not only the quality of the research project itself, but more than anything, the credibility of the conclusions drawn on their basis. Keywords: innovative behaviours, employee behaviours, stimulate innovations, research methods, scientific research