SNA-based innovation trend analysis in software service networks

Service networks can be considered to be open innovation systems. It has led to research on the structure of these networks, concentrating on the static network topology and its effect on innovation. However, the research misses the changes of network positions over time. In this paper, we examine the changes of nodes' positions in a software service network. The software service network has been built from empirical data. In this network, a node represents a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) service and a link denotes a re-use of existing software services through a new service. Our results suggest that: first, software services undergo life cycles in their network positions; second, some software services achieve to hub position in their life cycle while others a core position; and third, an innovation trend appears at service category level not just by a single service. These results imply that innovation studies should not only consider static network positions and topologies but also trends of changing positions within the network.