Intermediary–user collaboration during the innovation implementation process
Ingrid Mignon · Technology Analysis and Strategic Management · 2016
The innovation process is characterised by obstacles faced both by innovation suppliers during development and by users during implementation. Although the literature has underscored the importance of collaboration, how this process occurs during implementation remains understudied. In this study, a cross-case analysis of implementation processes showed that intermediary–user collaborations are characterised by different ways of matching users’ demands with intermediaries’ services, different formal and informal governance mechanisms, and different implementation outcomes. We propose that these characteristics are due to the specificities of implementation and to the particularities of the intermediary–user relationship. Additionally, there are particularities to intermediary–user collaborations that both facilitate implementation and create risks for its outcomes. We suggest that the link between the implementation outcome and the collaboration process affects user satisfaction, further investments in the technology, and learning. We conclude by drawing implications of the particularities of intermediary–user collaboration and implementation for theory, managers, and further research.