퍼지셋 질적 비교 분석을 활용한 서비스 혁신 패턴 연구

This study aims to identify various service innovation patterns in the service industry and understand the main differences among them. We attempt to create a new typology of service innovation by analyzing its patterns based on the four major dimensions of service innovation (i.e., service concept, service delivery, customer interaction, and technology). We then investigate whether firms pursuing different service innovation patterns significantly differ from one another in terms of their performance (high and low performance). Based on empirical data collected from 198 Korean firms in the knowledge-intensive business service sector, four major clusters composed of different service innovation dimensions are identified. These four clusters can be interpreted as specific service innovation patterns, including “technology based high customer interaction,” “high technology based high service delivery,” “service delivery and high customer interaction-integrated,” and “strongly balanced” innovators. High firm performance does not depend on the individual service innovation dimension but on the specific configurations of such service dimensions. Customer interaction also has an important role in achieving innovation success and improving firm performance, while technology has a key role in enhancing firm performance. This study sheds new light on service innovation research by developing a new typology of service innovation, identifying four major clusters as service innovation patterns, and exploring the relationship between service innovation patterns and firm performance.