Introduction

Co-creation is becoming a practice of high importance. It accompanies the changes in economy, in which networks that exist both within and outside of organizations determine and generate value. This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The research presented in the book unifies in a single analytical framework the effects of co-creation on both market performance as well as relationship with customers. It explains to managers how the marketing-driven decisions to co-create with customers may impact the firm's ability to develop its services, as well as affect the internal functioning of the organization. The book demonstrates that having customers as participants in New Service Development (NSD) must be managed for productivity and experience, in order not to cause heavy damage to the firm's relationship with customers. It explores the NSD dynamics in firms that have close links to customer communities, where innovation is influenced by communities of consumption.