Dissociation, Association, or Addition? Conceptualizing the Interplay of Mechanisms for Recombinant Digital Innovation in Service Systems

Abstract

Recombinant innovation is a useful approach to generate new digital service solutions with the help of established resources. However, it is unclear how its underlying mechanisms are interrelated and why they are applied. Based on theory from service systems and digital innovation, we analyze the interplay of dissociative, associative, and additive recombination by using the example of the media industry in a multiple case study. We find that the three mechanisms are applied in a supplementary concatenation and triggered by internal and external drivers. We contribute to IS literature by developing a conceptual model that illustrates the nexus of the mechanisms based on digital technologies as the central resource in service systems.