Investigating actors and enablers of innovation using a service ecosystem lens: A modelling approach

Abstract

The study developed a conceptual model of service innovation viewed through a service ecosystem lens, and empirically validated the model using data gathered from 334 managers in the tourism industry of the United Arab Emirates. A mixed methods approach was used. Three significant factors emerged as direct antecedents of innovation, namely dyadic interactions between: customers and employees, the firm and its partners, and the firm and its competitors. Further, two 'enablers', technological and organisational support, reinforced these interactions. This study contributes to the emerging literature in two ways - operationalising the service ecosystem construct and examining the impact of dyadic interactions between actors within the ecosystem on service innovation. The findings and discussions provide managers in the UAE tourism industry with a holistic view of the innovation trajectory, helping them to identify critical enablers and manage key actor interactions in the ecosystem.