IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v13y2021i16p8971-d612228.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Individual Dimension of Digital Innovation: The Altered Roles of Innovation Agents and Market Actors

Author

Listed:
  • Haneen Allataifeh

    (Department of Operation and Management Information System, Faculty of Business and Accountancy, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia)

  • Sedigheh Moghavvemi

    (Department of Operation and Management Information System, Faculty of Business and Accountancy, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia)

Abstract

Digital innovation entails the employment of new technologies to address business issues and to create practices that lead to the achievement of sustainability. It is observed that digital technology alters the individual dimension of the innovation process, allowing for a set of heterogenous actors to become active engagers in the process. A review of the previous research revealed a lack of focus on the roles these different actors play in the digital innovation process, as well as the mechanisms by which digital technology facilitates actor engagement, calling for research to shed some light on this topic. This phenomenological study undertakes an exploratory investigation of twenty-one Malaysian small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the information and communication technology (ICT) sector, with the aim to demonstrate the importance of engaging market actors in each stage of the value co-creation process. Interviews with industry players show the shifted role of market actors in the innovation process—from product receivers to gatekeepers—at different stages of the innovation process. Market actors are extensively engaged in validating and evaluating the progress of ongoing digital innovation projects and, therefore, can modify their direction. Meanwhile, the role of innovation agents changes from an authoritative to reflective one. This study provides evidence that market actors are in a controlling position at certain points of the innovation process. As such, the view of the innovation process as being company-centric is challenged by the findings of this research. We provide new information regarding innovation practices, the roles of key actors, and their value in the digital context, which can serve as valuable knowledge for both academics and practitioners.

Suggested Citation

  • Haneen Allataifeh & Sedigheh Moghavvemi, 2021. "The Individual Dimension of Digital Innovation: The Altered Roles of Innovation Agents and Market Actors," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-21, August.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:16:p:8971-:d:612228
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/16/8971/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/16/8971/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Tahir Ahmad & Amy Van Looy, 2020. "Business Process Management and Digital Innovations: A Systematic Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(17), pages 1-30, August.
    2. Youngjin Yoo & Richard J. Boland & Kalle Lyytinen & Ann Majchrzak, 2012. "Organizing for Innovation in the Digitized World," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 23(5), pages 1398-1408, October.
    3. Leonhardt, Daniel & Haffke, Ingmar & Kranz, Johann & Benlian, Alexander, 2017. "Reinventing the IT function: The Role of IT Agility and IT Ambidexterity in Supporting Digital Business Transformation," Publications of Darmstadt Technical University, Institute for Business Studies (BWL) 87491, Darmstadt Technical University, Department of Business Administration, Economics and Law, Institute for Business Studies (BWL).
    4. Jing-Wen Huang & Yong-Hui Li, 2017. "Green Innovation and Performance: The View of Organizational Capability and Social Reciprocity," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 145(2), pages 309-324, October.
    5. Antti Pellinen & Paavo Ritala & Kati Järvi & Liisa-Maija Sainio, 2012. "Taking initiative in market creation - a business ecosystem actor perspective," International Journal of Business Environment, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 5(2), pages 140-158.
    6. Urbinati, Andrea & Bogers, Marcel & Chiesa, Vittorio & Frattini, Federico, 2019. "Creating and capturing value from Big Data: A multiple-case study analysis of provider companies," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 84, pages 21-36.
    7. Fei Tao & Fangyuan Sui & Ang Liu & Qinglin Qi & Meng Zhang & Boyang Song & Zirong Guo & Stephen C.-Y. Lu & A. Y. C. Nee, 2019. "Digital twin-driven product design framework," International Journal of Production Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 57(12), pages 3935-3953, June.
    8. Roberto Moro-Visconti, 2021. "Networking Digital Platforms and Healthcare Project Finance Bankability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-18, April.
    9. Nambisan, Satish & Wright, Mike & Feldman, Maryann, 2019. "The digital transformation of innovation and entrepreneurship: Progress, challenges and key themes," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(8), pages 1-1.
    10. Yanli Guo & Yi Zhu & Jianbin Chen, 2021. "Business Model Innovation of IT-Enabled Customer Participating in Value Co-Creation Based on the Affordance Theory: A Case Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-22, May.
    11. Youngjin Yoo & Ola Henfridsson & Kalle Lyytinen, 2010. "Research Commentary ---The New Organizing Logic of Digital Innovation: An Agenda for Information Systems Research," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 21(4), pages 724-735, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Cheng, Cong & Wang, Limin, 2022. "How companies configure digital innovation attributes for business model innovation? A configurational view," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    2. Sohaib S. Hassan & Konrad Meisner & Kevin Krause & Levan Bzhalava & Petra Moog, 2024. "Is digitalization a source of innovation? Exploring the role of digital diffusion in SME innovation performance," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 62(4), pages 1469-1491, April.
    3. Muhammad Farooq Islam & Ozge Can, 2024. "Integrating digital and sustainable entrepreneurship through business models: a bibliometric analysis," Journal of Global Entrepreneurship Research, Springer;UNESCO Chair in Entrepreneurship, vol. 14(1), pages 1-18, December.
    4. Kroh, Julia & Globocnik, Dietfried & Schultz, Carsten & Holdhof, Frederike & Salomo, Søren, 2024. "Micro-foundations of digital innovation capability – A mixed method approach to develop and validate a multi-dimensional measurement instrument," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 198(C).
    5. Trocin, Cristina & Hovland, Ingrid Våge & Mikalef, Patrick & Dremel, Christian, 2021. "How Artificial Intelligence affords digital innovation: A cross-case analysis of Scandinavian companies," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    6. Zaheer, Hasnain & Breyer, Yvonne & Dumay, John & Enjeti, Mahesh, 2022. "The entrepreneurial journeys of digital start-up founders," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).
    7. Zahra, Shaker A. & Liu, Wan & Si, Steven, 2023. "How digital technology promotes entrepreneurship in ecosystems," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    8. Santos, Susana C. & Liguori, Eric W. & Garvey, Erin, 2023. "How digitalization reinvented entrepreneurial resilience during COVID-19," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 189(C).
    9. Zhou, Yong & Yang, Qijin & Lu, Shuo, 2023. "Research on the identification and formation mechanism of the main path of digital technology diffusion: Empirical evidence from China," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    10. Julian Lehmann & Jan Recker, 2022. "Offerings That are “Ever-in-the-Making”," Business & Information Systems Engineering: The International Journal of WIRTSCHAFTSINFORMATIK, Springer;Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V. (GI), vol. 64(1), pages 69-89, February.
    11. Andreas Hein & Maximilian Schreieck & Tobias Riasanow & David Soto Setzke & Manuel Wiesche & Markus Böhm & Helmut Krcmar, 2020. "Digital platform ecosystems," Electronic Markets, Springer;IIM University of St. Gallen, vol. 30(1), pages 87-98, March.
    12. Thomas Kreuzer & Anna-Katharina Lindenthal & Anna Maria Oberländer & Maximilian Röglinger, 2022. "The Effects of Digital Technology on Opportunity Recognition," Business & Information Systems Engineering: The International Journal of WIRTSCHAFTSINFORMATIK, Springer;Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V. (GI), vol. 64(1), pages 47-67, February.
    13. Bejjani, Melissa & Göcke, Lutz & Menter, Matthias, 2023. "Digital entrepreneurial ecosystems: A systematic literature review," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 189(C).
    14. Jianhong Zhang & Désirée Gorp & Henk Kievit, 2023. "Digital technology and national entrepreneurship: An ecosystem perspective," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 48(3), pages 1077-1105, June.
    15. Liu, Yang & Dong, Jiuyu & Mei, Liang & Shen, Rui, 2023. "Digital innovation and performance of manufacturing firms: An affordance perspective," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    16. Siachou, Evangelia & Vrontis, Demetris & Trichina, Eleni, 2021. "Can traditional organizations be digitally transformed by themselves? The moderating role of absorptive capacity and strategic interdependence," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 408-421.
    17. Shrutika Mishra & A. R. Tripathi, 2020. "Literature review on business prototypes for digital platform," Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 9(1), pages 1-19, December.
    18. Liu, Yang & Dong, Jiuyu & Ying, Ying & Jiao, Hao, 2021. "Status and digital innovation: A middle-status conformity perspective," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 168(C).
    19. Oliveira, Luis & Fleury, Afonso & Fleury, Maria Tereza, 2021. "Digital power: Value chain upgrading in an age of digitization," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(6).
    20. Fauchart, Emmanuelle & Bacache-Beauvallet, Maya & Bourreau, Marc & Moreau, François, 2022. "Do-It-Yourself or Do-It-Together: How digital technologies affect creating alone or with others?," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:16:p:8971-:d:612228. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.