Challenging the orthodoxy of value co-creation theory: A contingent view of co-production in design-intensive business services

This interview-based study of three design-oriented KIBS firms proposes a U-shaped project-stage model of co-production intensity in firms offering knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS) requiring a high level of creativity. During the central stage of project execution the creative KIBS firms typically know what needs to be accomplished but do not know what specific path should be pursued to accomplish the task. An intense phase of idea...