Quality functions' use of customer feedback as activation triggers for absorptive capacity and value co-creation

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose is to understand how the role of quality functions might evolve amidst digitalisation and an increased focus on services. This study focuses on customer feedback and how it can function as activation triggers for developing absorptive capacity, as well as how it relates to the value creation processes.Design/methodology/approachFollowing a qualitative research design, the authors gathered primary data from interviews with quality managers at 17 UK and Swedish firms and triangulated it with secondary information from the firms' web pages.FindingsThe findings show that customer feedback-based activation triggers can support development of absorptive capacity in the quality function if there are established processes for acting on customer feedback. This is often the case for codified feedback, which normally concerns products. However, digitalisation offers new opportunities of engaging in value co-creation, and firms need to develop digital capabilities to manage new technologies and data analytic tools. For personalised feedback (the main category of service-related feedback), established processes are missing.Originality/valueThis study work contributes to knowledge about how quality functions respond to customer feedback on both products and services. It clarifies why the quality function sometimes struggles to contribute to service quality as much as to product quality. From a theory development perspective, the authors contribute to understanding customer feedback-based activation triggers, how they lead to development of absorptive capacity and their relation to value co-creation on a functional level.

Mechanisms for developing operational capabilities in digital servitization

“…Manufacturers such as DocumentCo have less need to acquire capabilities from external suppliers as they are mostly learned in-house or can be built using other actors’ capabilities. This finding lends support to organizational learning and absorptive capacity perspectives that have often studied capability development as the function of experience and prior knowledge (Gremyr et al ., 2022; Valtakoski, 2017).…”

“…Thus, we argue that related empirical investigations fall outside the scope of a single theory and require combined theoretical perspectives (Von Krogh et al ., 2012), despite most prior research in this field employing single theoretical perspectives (e.g. Gremyr et al . (2022) – absorptive capacity).…”

“…Thus, we argue that related empirical investigations fall outside the scope of a single theory and require combined theoretical perspectives (Von Krogh et al, 2012), despite most prior research in this field employing single theoretical perspectives (e.g. Gremyr et al (2022) absorptive capacity). What we see as important in the discussion of capability development for digital servitization is that utilizing one theory may limit how we come to understand manufacturers' experiences.…”

“…However, there has been less focus on operational capability development mechanisms, both for traditional and digital servitization. In terms of operational capability development mechanisms for digital servitization, engaging with customers to develop new knowledge (Gremyr et al ., 2022) and utilizing new digital technologies (Ferreira and Lind, 2022) are highlighted (see Figure 1).…”

The influence of digitalisation on the role of quality professionals and their practices

“…A caveat for further research is that the difference between digitisation and digitalisation can be somewhat fuzzy, making clear distinctions difficult. To determine whether an organisation is more focused on digitisation over digitalisation in its QM practices, one may analyse the use of feedback data Gremyr et al, 2022) in the organisation. It can thus be argued that new forms of data and new ways of analysing data are drivers of explorative practice and skills development in QM.…”