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This paper examines innovation and change activities in knowledge-intensive business service (KIBS) firms from the perspective of innovative behaviour. Earlier studies have shown that innovation activities in these firms are typically dispersed around the organisation and intertwined with service delivery. Drawing on the theories of innovative behaviour, we map out the variety of micro-level innovation and change activities at three KIBS firms. Our findings suggest that various types of innovative behaviour take place throughout an innovation or change process: idea generation continues until the end of the process and application starts in its early stages. The study also confirms earlier results on the dispersed nature of innovation and change activities in KIBS firms, although different role expectations limited employees' innovative behaviour. Innovative behaviour was performed as both in- and extra-role behaviour at different organisational levels. These findings have implications for both researchers and practitioners.

Even though transformative agency is widely discussed in organization studies, recent conceptualizations provide little information about the dynamics through which transformative agency emerges at the individual and collective levels, or how these levels influence one another in a particular context. We employ critical realist theories to explore transformative agency in different types of temporary service development groups in This is the post print/pre print version of the article, which has been published in

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify and explain how different kinds of knowledge-intensive business service processes (KIBS processes) can be formalised without excessively limiting employees’ agency, and thus flexibility in value creation. Previous research acknowledges the need to balance flexibility and formalisation but does not investigate how employees achieve this balance in various types of KIBS processes. Design/methodology/approach This paper employs a qualitative multiple-case study approach to compare employees’ agency in six successful formalisation projects targeting different types of KIBS processes in three firms. Through a systematic mapping of employees’ agency across the cases, this study reveals alternative patterns of formalisation that enable agency. Findings The findings reveal notable differences in employees’ agency in the studied cases. When KIBS processes were scale intensive and/or the culture-favoured conformity, formalisation projects were centrally organised, and employees obeyed codified process templates, even though some agency remained. When KIBS processes were smaller scale and/or the culture-favoured freedom, employees conducted formalisation projects autonomously and retained higher levels of agency in formalised KIBS processes. Practical implications Firms and business units providing KIBS should choose their formalisation approaches locally based on the scalability of the KIBS process, their employees’ skill levels, knowledge bases and culture. Choosing the right approach enables flexibility while striving for efficient processes. Originality/value Previous studies suggest that formalisation benefits only some KIBS, but this comparative approach shows that a variety of KIBS processes benefit from formalisation if the formalisation approach is tailored to the context. Alternative patterns of formalisation are revealed to guide further empirical research on the topic.