Service innovation: A comparative study of U.S. and Indian service firms

Although major contributions are being made by the service sector in creating wealth, the sector's substantive role in generating and use of innovation is lacking meticulous examination. Academics, managers, and policy makers lack insights into outcomes of service innovation and identifying factors influencing why some innovations succeed and others fail. This study contributes to service management by: (1) developing a comparative theoretical model based on the Strategic Innovation Paradigm, Bain's Social-Conduct-Performance (S-C-P) Paradigm and Social Capital Theory of Innovation; (2) testing the model with Partial Least Squares (PLS) using managerial data from various service industries; and (3) comparing results across a developed (U.S.) and an emerging (India) economy. Results indicate similar managerial perceptions of service innovation success and impeding factors. U.S. managers indicate that factors beyond their control have a negative impact on service innovation, while these factors are not a significant predictor of innovation in the Indian sample. Findings further indicate that service innovation positively relates to the firms' non-financial and financial performance. Related implications for firms, consumers, public policy and future research are discussed.