Title: The exploration of future service innovations in the radically changing business environment within the electricity distribution industry

Authors: Jukka Bergman, Ari Jantunen, Satu Viljainen, Jarmo Partanen

Addresses: Department of Industrial Engineering and Management, Lappeenranta University of Technology, P.O. Box 20, 53851 Lappeenranta, Finland. ' Department of Business Administration, Lappeenranta University of Technology, P.O. Box 20, 53851 Lappeenranta, Finland. ' Department of Electrical Engineering, Lappeenranta University of Technology, P.O. Box 20, 53851 Lappeenranta, Finland. ' Department of Electrical Engineering, Lappeenranta University of Technology, P.O. Box 20, 53851 Lappeenranta, Finland

Abstract: The radically changing business environment in the electrical distribution industry analogous to the telecommunication industry in the beginning of the 1990s in Finland opens up totally new inter-industrial opportunities and forces organisations to renew their strategies and operations. In this study, two qualitative approaches – a scenario method and a GDSS method – were applied to assess the future development of the business environment and to generate totally new innovation ideas. This study provides guidelines for future-oriented innovation management and organisational renewal resulting suggestions for the companies as well as for the authorities where to direct their future activities.

Keywords: electricity distribution; service innovation; scenarios; GDSS; capabilities; Finland; business environment; innovation management; organisational renewal.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEIM.2008.019048

International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management, 2008 Vol.8 No.2, pp.120 - 141

Published online: 27 Jun 2008 *

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