Qualitative System Dynamics Cycle Network of the Innovation Process of Product Service Systems

Abstract

The innovation process of Product Service Systems (PSS) is affected by a vast number of internal and external influences. Especially the management of timely or structurally repeating influences, so called cycles, shows a great potential for improving the innovation process. Thereby two types of cycles can be differentiated. Firstly, internal cycles during the innovation process itself going from engineering change cycles, to manufacturing resource cycles or even team building processes. Secondly, the external, environmental cycles that have an impact on the innovation process, i.e. government- and customer-related demands and dependencies. A lot of these dependencies, most likely external ones, contain uncertainties, that have to be handled for successful innovation of PSS. To cope with these struggles, methods and tools have to be developed, to allow analysis and forecast of the cycles in the innovation process. Especially the high degree of cross-linking between the different cycles indicates the need of integrated modeling and analysis. An interdisciplinary cycle network of 30 relevant cycles and external influences as well as 51 interconnections so far, was set up in a System Dynamics environment. Though not all influences can be determined yet, the created causal loop diagram can already serve as a framework for analyzing the innovation process of PSSs and support deeper understanding of the interdisciplinary interdependencies.

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