Title: How firms synergise: understanding motives and management of co-creation for business-to-business services

Authors: Stephan Schwetschke; Christopher Durugbo

Addresses: Institute of Management Control and Business Accounting, Technische Universität Braunschweig, 38100 Braunschweig, Germany ' Management School, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZH, UK

Abstract: This article explores the motives for service co-creation in business-to-business (B2B) relationships and provides insight into the management practices for service co-creation. A literature review scrutinises the state of current literature on co-creation and B2B relationships. The insights build the foundation for a theoretical research model. This is followed by semi-structured interviews with 12 key informants from firms in B2B relationships for service co-creation. The empirical data was used to evaluate the applicability of the research model in practice and to refine it accordingly. The findings from the case firms suggest that co-creation is a catalyst for synergetic effects derived from competitive advantage and business transformation. This catalytic capability is dependent on the nature of collaboration, interaction, governance and the value co-creation activities themselves provide that underlie how entities are co-opted and involved. The implications of the study and potential future research directions are also discussed.

Keywords: value co-creation; industrial services; B2B relationships.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTM.2018.091289

International Journal of Technology Management, 2018 Vol.76 No.3/4, pp.258 - 284

Accepted: 05 Sep 2016
Published online: 23 Apr 2018 *

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