Responses came from 26 countries, citing a total of 85 innovations. The range of countries demonstrates that much innovation is already occurring in all developmental contexts. Services firms emphasized changes in service delivery in order to address customer demand for more accessible services. Don t overlook world-firsts in developing countries. Many assume that services innovation in developing and transition economies simply consist of the diffusion of innovations that began elsewhere.
Innovative firms think global, act local .
Cultural modifications were critical in over half the process innovations adopted from abroad. Quality assurance innovations are frequent. A primary developmental challenge for both local services firms and the offices of foreign corporations is to institute adequate quality assurance and customer ser-vice standards. Governmental support for the adoption of international quality assurance standards, such as ISO 9000, can be very helpful in increasing competitiveness and supporting the ability to innovate. Organizational change backs innovation.