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This study, adopting a knowledge perspective, aims to explore how small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) engage in service innovation by implementing design thinking.

A qualitative research methodology and a multiple case study strategy were adopted on account of the exploratory nature of this study. Three cases based in Scotland have been selected. Data were collected from staff, managers and researchers who participated in Create Cultures of Innovation (CCoI), a project sponsored by the Scottish government.

The research shows that SMEs can be enabled, through design-led interventions, to think collaboratively and leverage knowledge to achieve service innovation.

This research contributes to the service innovation literature by theorising an integrated research framework of “Knowledge exchange in SMEs service innovation with design thinking”. Further, this study enriches the extant understanding of service innovation in the traditional sector (manufacturing and hospitality) and redefines the roles and relations of the dimensions of service innovation.

This study addresses the call on tools and methods for servitisation, suggesting that changing the culture and mindsets of both the top management and the staff are critical for the success of servitisation and the implementation of design thinking. In addition, this research suggests the need to embed design thinking within the leadership prior to rolling it out to the wider public. Support from the top management should focus on both the engagement of staff and the changing of vision from product to service-focused.

This paper gets together service innovation, design thinking and knowledge exchange in the context of manufacturing SMEs offering novel insights into how to succeed in servitisation with the implementation of design thinking.

In product modular design tasks, especially in the high-tech manufacturing industry, buyers and supplies play distinct roles, which may have different impacts on product architectural and modular innovation. Prior research has tended to view product innovation as a holistic concept, overlooking the importance of this differentiated influence. This study, from a modular design perspective, aims to clarify the impact of black-box supplier involvement on product architectural and modular innovation, as well as the influence of product modularity on these relationships.

Based on the theory of product modular design, this study decomposes product innovation into architectural and modular innovation from the perspective of the product internal structure to conduct in-depth theoretical analysis and model construction. A total of 276 valid questionnaires are collected from typical Chinese high-tech manufacturing firms and used to empirically test the constructed theoretical model using multiple hierarchical regression analysis.

The results show that black-box supplier involvement positively affects modular innovation and takes an inverted U-shape, as moderated by product modularity. However, the impact of black-box supplier involvement on architectural innovation shows contradictory differences at different modularity levels. Under a low level of product modular design, black-box supplier involvement has a negative impact on architectural innovation, but under a moderate level of modular design, it has a positive impact. After the degree of modular design exceeds a certain threshold, the impact gradually weakens.

The results provide valuable insights for managers, highlighting the need to avoid oversimplifying the innovation impact of black-box suppliers solely based on overall product innovation. Instead, a more accurate assessment of the innovation contributions of both the buyer and supplier should be based on the degree of architectural and modular innovation. Additionally, the findings suggest that managers should consider the alignment between their company's product modular design features and innovation priorities (i.e. modular innovation or architectural innovation) when determining an appropriate supplier collaborative development strategy.

This study not only reveals the different impacts of black-box supplier involvement on architectural and modular innovation, but also proves the significant synergistic innovation effect of the relationship between black-box supplier involvement and product modularization. It constitutes an enriched and deepened exploration in the existing research on supplier involvement in product innovation.

Drawing on the integration of the knowledge-based theory and the resource orchestration theory, this study aims to develop a moderated mediation model on how design/manufacturing/administrative advanced manufacturing technology (AMT) influences product innovation performance. The authors hypothesized that the absorption capacity could mediate the AMT-innovation performance link and that design–manufacturing integration (DMI) could positively moderate the mediating effect of the absorption capacity.

To test the hypothesis, the authors conducted a mail survey of equipment manufacturing firms and obtained 302 valid responses for data analysis. Both hierarchical regression and bootstrapping analysis were conducted to empirically test the research model.

It is revealed that the absorption capacity partially mediated the effect of AMT on innovation and that DMI enhanced the mediated effect. Specifically, the mediating effect of the absorption capacity was more substantial and significant when DMI was high. However, the mediating effect of the absorption capacity was weaker and insignificant when DMI was low.

Overall, this study contributes to the AMT theory on innovation by identifying the absorption capacity and DMI as two key factors that elucidate why and under what conditions AMT affects innovation. Moreover, this study advises managers that besides developing AMT, firms should cultivate a strong DMI, which directs the absorption capacity toward converting the valuable knowledge in firms’ capital equipment into increased innovation performance.

This systematic literature review investigates the contribution of design thinking (DT) as a process and tool to drive innovation in a sustainable built environment (SBE) and develops a new model for sustainability research integrating DT and future thinking approaches toward achieving a unified DT and foresight notion for future research and applications.

This review was based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. Open-access English articles published between 2000 and 2022 identified using the EBSCOhost, Emerald Insight, DOJA, JSTOR, Scopus and Taylor and Francis database searches were reviewed. The review framework deploys a previously proposed modified Ansoff matrix with an integrated innovation matrix to identify and analyze the challenges and opportunities for innovation growth in SBE. Additionally, a citation analysis was conducted to explore the impact of DT for innovation in SBE, and a proposed framework based on design by drawing on foresight theory was developed.

Research on DT for innovation in SBE faces the challenge of unanticipated impacts. According to the average number of citations per document, innovation associated with new solutions within a new context seems to become highly influential. Additionally, research gaps exist in the integration of foresight and DT into sustainability research to identify new contexts and solutions to SBE. A model of foresight design thinking (FDT) is proposed to guide future research and support the practical application of DT in sustainability.

This analysis was limited by the selection criteria as only certain keywords were used and English-only articles were selected. Future research should consider the use of DT for innovation in SBE using various important keywords, which would improve research findings and expand the contribution of DT to SBE.

The FDT model offers a new holistic framework for the iterative process of reframing and reperception, focusing on divergent and convergent thinking with the goal of contributing to SBE practices.

The integrated framework of DT and foresight can contribute to the study and development of sustainable innovation and a strategic shift toward a sustainable society.

The integration of DT, foresight and sustainability can broaden the horizons of sustainability research by systematically addressing future challenges related to SBE, which can be translated into feasible and innovative solutions. Thus, the FDT model complements the application of DT in sustainable innovation in this research field.

Despite the undeniable need for innovation in hospital building design, the literature highlights the disconnect between research and practice as the primary knowledge gap hindering such innovation. This study shows this focus to be an oversimplification, for the complex processes that trigger design innovations and impact their ecosystems need to be examined from a systemic perspective. This paper aims to conceptualise the evolution of hospital building design and identify and explain the main factors triggering design and construction innovations over the past 100 years.

A novel hybrid research design to mixed grounded theory (MGT) methodology, with Charmaz constructivist paradigm, is developed as a new systematic way of constructing and interpreting the concepts and interconnections among them that triggered design innovation.

This study represents a taxonomy of concepts and an explanatory innovation framework, containing 617 interconnections between 146 factors classified across 14 categories. The complex innovation ecosystem comprises multi-faceted processes between heterogenous factors with both individual and collective impacts on design innovations.

This research highlights the main components of the innovation ecosystem and its overall behaviour in this field, and the most influential and interrelated contextual factors, as well as representing and mapping generative interactions that support innovation processes. This knowledge can help hospital researchers, designers, policymakers and stakeholders adopt a multidimensional outlook to analyse the strength of all influential factors, introduce potential novel ways of collaborating, conceptualise an organisational approach, re-formulate research questions through transdisciplinary methods and introduce interdisciplinary courses and programs in architecture schools, thereby contributing to timely design innovation.

This study provides a configurational examination of how policy designs influence the innovation performance of the emergency industry in China.

This study employs the Data Envelopment Analysis Malmquist index (DEA-Malmquist) to quantify the innovation performance of the emergency industry and then codes the innovation policies to calculate the syntactic components based on institutional grammar tools (IGTs). The configurations of syntactic components were determined by applying the fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA).

The results indicate that rules- and norms-oriented policy designs would improve the innovation performance of China's emergency industry. In the developed provinces, the “Deontic” and “aIm” combinations in the policy are useful for improving performance. In the developing provinces, the ambiguity of the “aIm” and “Context” conditions in the policy is leading to low performance. Additionally, a lack of strategy-oriented policy design would also result in poor performance.

Most previous studies used substitute variables to understand policy impacts. This study contributes to identifying the impacts of the syntactic components of policy designs on the innovation performance of the emergency industry. The findings can assist policymakers in developing more effective policies to stimulate innovation development in the emergency industry.

This paper aims to identify potential avenues for innovation in urban hotel management by analyzing self-reported data from visitors regarding their experience with interior design.

A qualitative exploratory computer-assisted content analysis was conducted to identify the impact of interior design on the guest experience. Leximancer 4.0 software analyzed 2,562 reviews from urban hotels collected through a reservation website.

The findings reveal that data reported by guests on interior design play a crucial role in shaping guest experiences, both positively and negatively. The esthetic appeal of interior design is shown to impact resting and comfort, affecting overall performance significantly. The study also highlights how different star categories of hotels and variations in visitors' purposes for their stay lead to distinct guest experiences and different opportunities to innovate.

The study’s results provide evidence for researchers and practitioners of the potential of the guest-reported interior design experience as a valuable source for fostering innovation. In addition, in the hotel industry, innovation may eventually be attained through interior design renovation.

Self-reported data from guests on interior design is an effective tool for innovation. Making interior design a priority throughout the establishment and ongoing management of a hotel is crucial. By integrating interior design, not only can potential negative experiences be avoided, but greater guest satisfaction can also be achieved during their stay, promoting memorable experiences that align with the hotel category and customer expectations.

This research emphasizes the importance of interior design as a catalyst for innovation and improved social experiences in the hospitality industry. Innovation in interior design can improve hotel performance in several dimensions, including attracting more visitors to the hotel and the area, increasing tourism revenue for local businesses and contributing to the broader societal goal of reducing environmental impact and promoting sustainability.

This article adopts a guest-centered methodology to provide valuable insights for hotel managers to leverage interior design as a tool for innovation in the hospitality industry after showing that interior design enhances guests' experiences, comfort and hotel differentiation.

This study aims to explore the patterns and transformational dynamics of the executive–interpreter network in the innovation processes of small- and medium-sized enterprises in hospitality.

Grounded in social network theory and adopting a case-based approach, this study features a multi-case design focusing on three Chinese boutique hotels. Data were collected through Web page and document reviews, participant observations and semistructured interviews.

Results capture how executive–interpreter network dynamics contribute to innovation in small- and medium-sized hotels. Key factors in social networks (e.g. size, scope and strength) shift throughout innovation. This study presents a design-driven approach as a means of innovation. Findings also delineate the network development conditions under which innovation dynamically occurs in boutique hotels.

Practical implications center on how network dynamics help small- and medium-sized hotels innovate more effectively. These insights can assist hotel operators and prospective market entrants in improving their hotels’ performance and competitiveness.

This study blends social network theory with a design-driven approach to explore innovation mechanisms in small- and medium-sized hotels. It offers empirical evidence for practitioners regarding design-driven innovation. Findings enrich the body of knowledge on both design-driven innovation theory and hospitality innovation.

Engaging with customers and addressing unmet value have become increasingly challenging within multi-stakeholder environments of service innovation. Therefore, this paper aims to address this challenge by studying how strategic design abilities address unmet value in service engagement strategies.

The authors conducted a qualitative inductive study at a multinational corporation and interviewed marketing and design professionals on their innovation practices in service engagement strategies.

From the inductive analysis, this study identified three strategic design abilities that effectively contribute to addressing unmet value throughout the co-evolving process of service engagement: envisioning value, modelling value and engaging value. Based on this, this study proposes the emerging co-evolving loop framework of service engagement strategies.

The limitation of this emerging theory is a lack of broad generalizability with mutual exclusivity or collective exhaustiveness across industries. A theoretical implication of the framework is the integration of strategic design and services marketing towards co-created engagement strategies.

The service engagement loop framework can be of great value to service innovation processes, for which an integrated, cross-functional approach is often missing.

The findings further suggest that next to a methodological skillset, strategic design abilities consist of a distinct mindset.

This paper introduces strategic design abilities to address unmet value and proposes a novel co-evolving loop framework of service engagement strategies.

This study aims to investigate how configurations of boundary objects (BOs) support innovation teams in developing innovative product concepts. Specifically, it explores the effectiveness of different artefact configurations in facilitating collaboration and bridging knowledge boundaries during the concept development process.

The research is based on data from ten undergraduate innovation teams working with an industry partner in a creative industry. Six categories of BOs are identified, which serve as tools for collaboration. The study applies fsQCA (fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis) to analyse the configurations employed by the teams to bridge knowledge boundaries and support the development of innovative product concepts.

The findings of the study reveal two distinct groups of configurations: product envisioning and product design. The configurations within the “product envisioning” group support the activities of visioning and pivoting, enabling teams to innovate the product concept by altering the product vision. On the other hand, the configurations within the “product design” group facilitate experimenting, modelling and prototyping, allowing teams to design the attributes of the innovative product concept while maintaining the product vision.

This research contributes to the field of innovation by providing insights into the role of BOs and their configurations in supporting innovation teams during concept development. The results suggest that configurations of “product envisioning” support bridging semantic knowledge boundaries, while configurations within “product design” bridge pragmatic knowledge boundaries. This understanding contributes to the broader field of knowledge integration and innovation in design contexts.