A4 Article in conference proceedings
Fostering Cross-Functional Collaboration in Continuous Digital Service Innovation : Individual and Group-Level Perspectives (2024)

Elo, J., Lumivalo, J., Tuunanen, T., & Salo, M. (2024). Fostering Cross-Functional Collaboration in Continuous Digital Service Innovation : Individual and Group-Level Perspectives. In E. Parmiggiani, C. Bardaki, & L. S. Rodrigues (Eds.), MCIS 2024 : Proceedings of the 16th Mediterranean Conference on Information Systems. Association for Information Systems. https://aisel.aisnet.org/mcis2024/15/

JYU authors or editors

Publication details

All authors or editors: Elo, Jenny; Lumivalo, Juuli; Tuunanen, Tuure; Salo, Markus

Parent publication: MCIS 2024 : Proceedings of the 16th Mediterranean Conference on Information Systems

Parent publication editors: Parmiggiani, Elena; Bardaki, Cleopatra; Rodrigues, Luís Silva

Conference:

Place and date of conference: Porto, Portugal, 3.-5.10.2024

eISBN: 978-989-33-6886-2

Publication year: 2024

Publisher: Association for Information Systems

Publication country: United States

Publication language: English

Persistent website address: https://aisel.aisnet.org/mcis2024/15/

Publication open access: Not open

Publication channel open access: 

Abstract

Continuous digital service innovation (CDSI) represents a shift toward flexible, iterative, and bottom-up approaches to service innovation in today’s rapidly evolving, technology-dominated service contexts. This study explores the critical role of cross-functional collaboration in CDSI, shedding light on its enablers and barriers at the individual and group levels. Based on service-dominant (S-D) logic, we conceptualize cross-functional collaboration as a cocreative resource integration process in which actors from different organizational functions combine their specialized knowledge and skills for mutual benefit. Based on semi-structured interviews with 50 informants from four Finnish organizations, our findings show that at the individual level, collaboration is influenced by individuals’ willingness and ability to integrate resources. At the group level, actor-to-actor interaction is facilitated by clear roles and responsibilities, shared objectives and practices, effective communication, and shared understanding. This study contributes to both research and practice by advancing our understanding of the emerging CDSI phenomenon, identifying the individual and group-level enablers and barriers to cross-functional collaboration in this context, and providing actionable insights for fostering collaboration to realize the potential of CDSI for organizations.

Keywords: cooperation (general); enterprises; organisations (systems); electronic services; service business; innovations; resources; qualitative research

Free keywords: continuous digital service innovation; cross-functional collaboration; organizational actors; resource integration; actor-to-actor interaction; service-dominant logic; collaboration enablers; collaboration barriers; qualitative research

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Ministry reporting: Yes

Preliminary JUFO rating: 1