Innovating in Practice: A Practice-Theoretical Exploration of Discontinuous Service Innovations

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to contribute to the understanding of technology-based service innovations. The overarching research question has been: How can we understand service innovation from a practice-theoretical perspective, and in particular, how do social practices increase our understanding of adoption processes and expand knowledge for technological design purposes?

This research has consisted of three papers – two empirical and one conceptual paper. The first paper investigates medication practices in a Norwegian municipality. In this case study, the adoption and the subsequent development of new medication practices is examined through a practice-theoretical lens. The second paper explores the adoption of a new service technology within an educational site of multiple study practices. By conceptualizing technological adoption as resource integration, the paper contributes by expanding our understanding of how new technology is integrated within specific study practices at a Norwegian business college. The third paper is conceptual, and discusses the peculiarities of disrupting practices. Although the empirical papers are different in empirical focus, all three examine service technologies and are interpreted through a common theoretical perspective.