This empirical paper examines a process, starting with the managerial decision to make service design an organizational capability, and follows it as it unfolds over time within one organization. Service design has become an established business practice of how firms create new products and services to promote differentiation in an increasingly uncertain business landscape. Implicit in the literature on service design are assumptions about strategic implications of adopting the prescribed innovation methods and tools. However, little is known about how service design evolves into an organizational capability enabling firms to transform their existing businesses and sustain competitiveness. Through a longitudinal, exploratory case study of service design practices in one of the world’s largest telecommunications companies, we explicate mechanisms through which service design evolves into an organizational capability by exploring the research question: what are the mechanisms through which service design develops into an organizational capability? Our study reveals the effect of an initial introduction of service design tools, identification of boundary-spanning actors and co-alignment of dedicated resources between internal functions, as well as through co-creation with customers. Over time, these activities lead to the adoption of service design practices, and subsequently these practices spark incremental learning throughout the organization, alter managerial decisions and influence multiple paths for the development of new capabilities. Reporting on this process, we are able to describe how service design practices were disseminated and institutionalized within the organization we observed. This study thus contributes by informing how service design can evolve into an organizational capability, as well as by bridging the emerging literature on service design and design thinking with established strategy theory. Further research will have to be conducted to confirm if the same mechanisms are observable across contexts and in other firms, and several future research directions are identified. In addition, the study also has implications for practice as it demonstrates how service design methodology can be implemented and has strategic implications for organizations.

中文翻译：

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具有设计能力或设计能力？在Telenor – Martinkenaite中探索服务设计作为一种新兴的组织能力

这份经验性论文研究了一个过程，该过程从管理决策开始，以使服务设计成为一种组织能力，并且随着它在一个组织中的发展而逐步发展。服务设计已成为企业如何创建新产品和服务，以在日益不确定的业务环境中促进差异化的既定商业惯例。关于服务设计的文献中隐含了关于采用规定的创新方法和工具的战略含义的假设。但是，对于服务设计如何演变为使企业能够改变其现有业务并维持竞争力的组织能力所知甚少。通过对世界上最大的电信公司之一的服务设计实践进行纵向的探索性案例研究，我们通过研究以下问题来阐明服务设计演变为组织能力的机制：服务设计发展为组织能力的机制是什么？我们的研究揭示了最初引入服务设计工具，确定跨界参与者以及内部职能之间专用资源的共同调整以及与客户共同创造的效果。随着时间的流逝，这些活动导致采用服务设计实践，随后这些实践引发了整个组织的增量学习，改变了管理决策并影响了开发新功能的多种途径。报告这个过程，我们能够描述服务设计实践如何在我们观察到的组织内传播和制度化。因此，本研究通过告知服务设计如何演变为组织能力，以及通过将新兴的有关服务设计和设计思想的文献与已建立的战略理论相结合而做出贡献。必须进行进一步的研究，以确认在其他情况下以及在其他公司中是否可以观察到相同的机制，并且确定了一些未来的研究方向。此外，该研究还演示了如何实施服务设计方法，并对组织具有战略意义，因此对实践也有影响。以及通过将新兴的服务设计和设计思想文献与既定的战略理论相结合。必须进行进一步的研究，以确认在其他情况下以及在其他公司中是否可以观察到相同的机制，并且确定了一些未来的研究方向。此外，该研究还演示了如何实施服务设计方法，并对组织具有战略意义，因此对实践也有影响。以及通过将新兴的服务设计和设计思想文献与既定的战略理论相结合。必须进行进一步的研究，以确认在其他情况下以及在其他公司中是否可以观察到相同的机制，并且确定了一些未来的研究方向。此外，该研究还演示了如何实施服务设计方法，并对组织具有战略意义，因此对实践也有影响。