ABSTRACT
Service innovation can be viewed as an open, interactive process that involves multiple actors across diverse practices, organizations, industries, and sectors. This view, represented by different perspectives such as ‘open innovation’ and ‘user-driven innovation,’ holds the possibility for various actors to become important players in the innovation activities of an organization. In this chapter, the focus is set on front line employees. Based on several studies, it is widely understood that front line employees play a key role in service innovation, working closely with customers and bringing in relevant knowledge that contributes to innovation. What remains less explored is how front line employees are able to become innovators, in the sense that they are agents with a role beyond their specific job requirements. This chapter proposes a framework that identifies front line employees as agents through three essential characteristics: the ability to innovate, the willingness to innovate, and the opportunity to innovate. The chapter contributes by showing how front line employees need to be provided with opportunities to become agents of service innovation processes, and identifies middle managers as being in an enabling role.
