Fueling service innovation in B2B travel agency networks through knowledge capabilities: the moderating effects of IT integration and knowledge desorption

Purpose This study aims to explore how knowledge-based and dynamic capabilities drive service innovation in B2B service ecosystems, using travel agencies as representative SMEs operating as multi-sided intermediaries. Drawing on the knowledge-based view (KBV) and dynamic capabilities theory (DCT), it develops and tests a conceptual model highlighting knowledge aggregation and transformation as foundations for integrative dynamic capabilities across inter-organizational networks. This study further examines how IT integration and knowledge desorption capabilities strengthen knowledge orchestration, enriching the understanding of how firms coordinate innovation in complex B2B networks. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative survey was administered to 431 travel agency managers in Taiwan. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was applied to test the proposed service innovation model and examine the relationships among knowledge capabilities, integrative dynamic capabilities, IT integration and knowledge desorption. Robustness checks, including reliability, validity and predictive relevance tests, were conducted to ensure the rigor of the empirical findings. Findings The results show that knowledge aggregation and transformation significantly enhance internal and external integrative capabilities, improving innovation outcomes in B2B networks. IT integration and knowledge desorption capabilities positively moderate these relationships, reinforcing knowledge flows and collaborative innovation. Internal integrative capabilities exerted a stronger influence on service innovation than external ones in this B2B context. Originality/value This research extends knowledge management and industrial marketing literature by conceptualizing travel agencies as knowledge orchestrators in B2B ecosystems. It introduces knowledge desorption as a novel boundary-spanning mechanism that complements KBV and DCT, showing how firms can safeguard core assets while enabling collaborative innovation. The rigor of the empirical design—drawing on a large B2B sample and robust PLS-SEM validation—ensures that the findings advance theory in B2B service innovation and offer actionable insights for managers in dynamic service markets.