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Does social software support service innovation?

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  • Meyer, Jenny

Abstract

Recent Internet technologies and web-based applications, such as social software, are being increasingly applied in firms. Social software can be employed for knowledge management and for external communication enabling access to internal and external knowledge. Knowledge in turn constitutes one of the main inputs to service innovation. Hence, social software has the potential to support service innovation. Using data from 505 German Information- and Communication Technology (ICT) and knowledge-intensive service firms, this is the first paper which empirically analyses the question whether the use of social software applications triggers innovation. Thereby, it refers to a knowledge production function in which social software use constitutes the knowledge sourcing activity. The results reveal that there is a positive relationship between social software and service innovation. Since this result is robust when controlling for former innovative activities and the previous propensity to adopt new technologies and to change processes, the analysis suggests that the causality runs from social software to innovation.

Suggested Citation

  • Meyer, Jenny, 2009. "Does social software support service innovation?," ZEW Discussion Papers 09-046, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:zewdip:09046
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    Cited by:

    1. Frosch, Katharina & Göbel, Christian & Zwick, Thomas, 2011. "Separating wheat and chaff: age-specific staffing strategies and innovative performance at the firm level," Zeitschrift für ArbeitsmarktForschung - Journal for Labour Market Research, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany], vol. 44(4), pages 321-338.
    2. Tor Helge Aas & Karl Joachim Breunig & Katja Maria Hydle, 2017. "Exploring New Service Portfolio Management," International Journal of Innovation Management (ijim), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 21(06), pages 1-31, August.
    3. Tor Helge Aas & Nina Jentoft & Mikaela Vasstrøm, 2016. "Managing innovation of care services: An exploration of Norwegian municipalities," Cogent Business & Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 3(1), pages 1215762-121, December.
    4. Sarbu, Miruna, 2022. "Does telecommuting kill service innovation?," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 95(C).
    5. Pratyush Bharati & Abhijit Chaudhury, 2019. "Assimilation of Big Data Innovation: Investigating the Roles of IT, Social Media, and Relational Capital," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 21(6), pages 1357-1368, December.
    6. Tor Helge Aas, 2016. "Open Service Innovation: The Case of Tourism Firms in Scandinavia," Journal of Entrepreneurship, Management and Innovation, Fundacja Upowszechniająca Wiedzę i Naukę "Cognitione", vol. 12(2), pages 53-75.
    7. Engelstätter, Benjamin & Sarbu, Miruna, 2011. "The adoption of social enterprise software," ZEW Discussion Papers 11-078, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    8. Sarbu, Miruna, 2013. "Does social software increase labour productivity?," ZEW Discussion Papers 13-041, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Social software; web 2.0; service innovation; knowledge management;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O31 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives
    • O33 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes
    • M10 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - General

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