Quality functions' use of customer feedback as activation triggers for absorptive capacity and value co-creation
Journal article, 2022

Purpose The 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/approach Following 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. Findings The 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/value This 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.

Customer feedback

Value creation process

Activation triggers

Absorptive capacity

Quality function

Author

Ida Gremyr

Chalmers, Technology Management and Economics, Service Management and Logistics

Andrea Birch-Jensen

Chalmers, Technology Management and Economics, Service Management and Logistics

Maneesh Kumar

Cardiff Business School

Nina Lofberg

Karlstad University

International Journal of Operations and Production Management

0144-3577 (ISSN) 17586593 (eISSN)

Vol. 42 13 218-242

Subject Categories

Production Engineering, Human Work Science and Ergonomics

Reliability and Maintenance

Business Administration

DOI

10.1108/IJOPM-11-2021-0692

More information

Latest update

8/25/2022