Toward a better understanding of stakeholder participation in the service innovation process: More than one path to success

Acknowledging the positive effects of stakeholder participation in new service development projects, the present research examines factors contributing to well-designed stakeholder participation processes. Data come from 220 franchisees engaged in innovation projects. Fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) assesses the interplay of six participation quality dimensions: (1) task-related resources, (2) early involvement, (3) degree of influence, (4) transparency of processes, (5) incentive mechanisms, and (6) voluntariness of participation. Results show that successful stakeholder participation is characterized by a complex interplay of these participation quality dimensions. While some firms are excellent in all six dimensions, other firms successfully integrate stakeholders by focusing on selected participation quality dimensions. Uncovering these complex interrelationships helps managers to better design participatory processes in new service development projects.