A conceptual framework on the adoption of new service development tools and techniques in service firms

Abstract

Over the past few years, various new service development tools and techniques have been developed. However, little is known regarding the factors influencing their adoption. The objective of this paper is to build a theoretical framework to explain the determinants of adopting NSD tools in service firms. We do so by using the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to explain the adoption behavior. TPB has been shown to have substantial predictive power. We apply it at the firm level and decompose it to provide a clear picture of the influencing factors. Behavioral beliefs are broken down into perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use, according to the technology acceptance model. Institutional theory is adapted to break normative beliefs into supplier coercive pressure, competitive pressure and customer coercive pressure. Control beliefs are decomposed to make clear the impact of compatibility of NSD tools and resource commitment. © 2010 IEEE.