User innovation in techniques

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Techniques, or systematic activities for complex tasks, are crucial for innovation, often necessary for developing new products or enhancing existing ones. Users serve as a primary source of new techniques, yet research has largely focused on product and service innovations, neglecting user-generated techniques. This book presents a study in the medical devices field, featuring a multiple case study and a survey of 196 surgeons. It explores how users create and share new techniques and examines the relationships between these techniques, product use, and product innovation. The findings indicate that user innovation in techniques significantly drives product innovation for both users and manufacturers, suggesting that users contribute more to overall innovation than previously recognized. Furthermore, the diffusion of techniques differs markedly from that of new products, relying on diffusion agents who facilitate interpersonal interactions and collaborative performance with potential adopters. Since the diffusion of a technique often precedes the diffusion of related products, companies must reconsider their marketing strategies to adapt to this dynamic.