Service-dominant orientation, dynamic capabilities and firm performance

Journal Publication ResearchOnline@JCU
Wilden, Ralf;Gudergan, Siegfried
Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of a firm’s service-dominant orientation on marketing and technological capabilities, and its performance. It outlines how a service-dominant orientation offers guidance for the development and deployment of ordinary capabilities, and indirectly affects performance. Additionally, it delineates how dynamic capabilities affect the impact of a service-dominant orientation on ordinary capabilities. Design/methodology/approach: Partial least squares structural equation modeling drawing on data from 228 firms serves to assess hypotheses relating service-dominant orientation and dynamic capabilities with firm performance. Findings: The results indicate that marketing and technological capabilities fully mediate the relationship between a firm’s service-dominant orientation and firm performance. Furthermore, the positive marginal effect of a firm’s service-dominant orientation on its marketing capabilities increases with the firm displaying a stronger service-dominant orientation. In addition, the positive effect of service-dominant orientation on marketing capabilities reduces the more the firm deploys dynamic capabilities. Research limitations/implications: Because of the cross-sectional sample, future studies could adopt longitudinal research designs to explore the impact of a service-dominant orientation on ordinary capabilities and performance, or investigate the applicability of the findings in other contexts. Practical implications: The findings imply that implementing a service-dominant orientation can be beneficial for firms. However, because the impact of such an orientation weakens the greater a firm’s dynamic capabilities, managers need to be mindful of this trade-off. Originality/value: The study is the first to establish a link between the dynamic capability view, originating from strategy research, and service-dominant logic, stemming from marketing thinking.

Journal

Journal of Service Theory and Practice

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Volume

27

ISBN/ISSN

2055-6233

Edition

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Issue

4

Pages Count

25

Location

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Publisher

Emerald

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Publisher Location

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Publish Date

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Url

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Date

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EISSN

N/A

DOI

10.1108/JSTP-04-2016-0077