Insights into service operations management: a research agenda
05 Jan 2009-Production and Operations Management (Blackwell Publishing Ltd)-Vol. 12, Iss: 2, pp 145-164
TL;DR: In this article, an agenda for service operations management (SOM) research is presented, motivated by the need for an SOM research agenda and a research framework that provides a broad-based picture of key architectural elements in the SOM research landscape.
Abstract: This paper offers insights regarding an agenda for service operations management (SOM) research First, we motivate the need for an SOM research agenda Second, we offer a research framework that paints a broad-based picture of key architectural elements in the SOM research landscape The framework builds upon prior and emerging research for designing, delivering and evaluating services Third, in order to stimulate future research in SOM, we use this framework to hone in on five understudied and emerging research themes that underpin our proposed SOM research agenda
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TL;DR: In this article, the authors present empirical evidence on the range and extent of servitization in manufacturing, which suggests that manufacturing firms in developed economies are adopting a range of service-oriented strategies.
Abstract: Commentators suggest that to survive in developed economies manufacturing firms have to move up the value chain, innovating and creating ever more sophisticated products and services, so they do not have to compete on the basis of cost. While this strategy is proving increasingly popular with policy makers and academics there is limited empirical evidence to explore the extent to which it is being adopted in practice. And if so, what the impact of this servitization of manufacturing might be. This paper seeks to fill a gap in the literature by presenting empirical evidence on the range and extent of servitization. Data are drawn from the OSIRIS database on 10,028 firms incorporated in 25 different countries. The paper presents an analysis of these data which suggests that: [i] manufacturing firms in developed economies are adopting a range of servitization strategies—12 separate approaches to servitization are identified; [ii] these 12 categories can be used to extend the traditional three options for servitization—product oriented Product–Service Systems, use oriented Product–Service Systems and result oriented Product–Service Systems, by adding two new categories “integration oriented Product–Service Systems” and “service oriented Product–Service Systems”; [iii] while the manufacturing firms that have servitized are larger than traditional manufacturing firms in terms of sales revenues, at the aggregate level they also generate lower profits as a % of sales; [iv] these findings are moderated by firm size (measured in terms of numbers of employees). In smaller firms servitization appears to pay off while in larger firms it proves more problematic; and [v] there are some hidden risks associated with servitization—the sample contains a greater proportion of bankrupt servitized firms than would be expected.
1,257 citations
Cites background from "Insights into service operations ma..."
...From an operations perspective, we know relatively little about the design of services and much of our knowledge is grounded in the design and delivery of mass services, although there is now growing interest in experiential services (Roth and Menor, 2003; Voss and Zomerdijk, 2007)....
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...From an operations perspective, we know relatively little about the design of services and much of our knowledge is grounded in the design and delivery of mass services, although there is now growing interest in experiential services ( Roth and Menor 2003; Voss and Zomerdijk 2007)....
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TL;DR: In this article, the authors examine the design of experience-centric services, particularly in the context of customer experience management, to promote differentiation and customer loyalty, and propose a set of design guidelines.
Abstract: Service organizations are increasingly managing customer experiences to promote differentiation and customer loyalty. This article examines the design of experience-centric services, particularly t...
819 citations
Cites background from "Insights into service operations ma..."
...…human elements in service encounters (e.g., Czepiel, Solomon, and Surprenant 1985; Gwinner et al. 2005), the design of service delivery systems from a customerexperience perspective warrants further examination (Heineke and Davis 2007; Patrício, Fisk, and Falcão e Cunha 2008; Roth and Menor 2003)....
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TL;DR: The unified services theory (UST) as discussed by the authors defines a service production process as one that relies on customer inputs; customers act as suppliers for all service processes and provides a common reference point to which services management researchers can anchor future theory-building and theory-testing research.
Abstract: Diverse businesses, such as garbage collection, retail banking, and management consulting are often tied together under the heading of “services”, based on little more than a perception that they are intangible and do not manufacture anything. Such definitions inadequately identify managerial and operational implications common among, and unique to, services. We present a “Unified Services Theory” (UST) to clearly delineate service processes from non-service processes and to identify key commonalities across seemingly disparate service businesses. The UST defines a service production process as one that relies on customer inputs; customers act as suppliers for all service processes. Non-services (such as make-to-stock manufacturing) rely on customer selection of outputs, payment for outputs, and occasional feedback, but production is not dependent upon inputs from individual customers. The UST reveals principles that are common to the wide range of services and provides a unifying foundation for various theories and models of service operations, such as the traditional “characteristics of services” and Customer Contact Theory. The UST has significant operational corollaries pertaining to capacity and demand management, service quality, services strategy, and so forth. The UST provides a common reference point to which services management researchers can anchor future theory-building and theory-testing research.
726 citations
TL;DR: Multilevel Service Design (MSD) as discussed by the authors is a new interdisciplinary method for designing complex service systems that synthesizes contributions from new service development, interaction design, and the emerging field of service design.
Abstract: The proliferation of complex service systems raises new challenges for service design and requires new methods. Multilevel Service Design (MSD) is presented as a new interdisciplinary method for designing complex service systems. MSD synthesizes contributions from new service development, interaction design, and the emerging field of service design. MSD enables integrated development of service offerings at three hierarchical levels: (a) Designing the firm’s service concept with the customer value constellation of service offerings for the value constellation experience; (b) Designing the firm’s service system, comprising its architecture and navigation, for the service experience; and (c) Designing each service encounter with the Service Experience Blueprint for the service encounter experience. Applications of the MSD method are described for designing a new retail grocery service and for redesigning a bank service. MSD contributes an interdisciplinary service design method that accommodates the cocreat...
593 citations
TL;DR: The purpose of this paper is to gather conceptual perspectives on the role and nature of e‐ service, and the e‐service experience, and to explore two differentiators to the service experience.
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to review research and is to gather conceptual perspectives on the role and nature of e‐service, and the e‐service experience. Recent advances in technology have created a surge in technology‐based self‐service or e‐service, and there is an increasing recognition of its role in differentiation and customer interfaces.Design/methodology/approach – An exploration of the inherent characteristics of technology facilitation of service, including notions of information service and self service, leads to definitions of e‐service and the e‐service experience. The following section explores two differentiators to the service experience: e‐service encounters, elements and episodes; and e‐service's role in the total multi‐channel experience. Finally the growing body of work on e‐service quality is reviewed in pursuit of an understanding of how work on dimensions of e‐service quality informs understanding of the nature of the e‐service experience.Findings – In order to understan...
492 citations
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TL;DR: The primary contribution of the paper is in exploring the coordination mechanisms through which firms integrate the specialist knowledge of their members, which has implications for the basis of organizational capability, the principles of organization design, and the determinants of the horizontal and vertical boundaries of the firm.
Abstract: Given assumptions about the characteristics of knowledge and the knowledge requirements of production, the firm is conceptualized as an institution for integrating knowledge. The primary contribution of the paper is in exploring the coordination mechanisms through which firms integrate the specialist knowledge of their members. In contrast to earlier literature, knowledge is viewed as residing within the individual, and the primary role of the organization is knowledge application rather than knowledge creation. The resulting theory has implications for the basis of organizational capability, the principles of organization design (in particular, the analysis of hierarchy and the distribution of decision-making authority), and the determinants of the horizontal and vertical boundaries of the firm. More generally, the knowledge-based approach sheds new light upon current organizational innovations and trends and has far-reaching implications for management practice.
12,839 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explore the coordination mechanisms through which firms integrate the specialist knowledge of their members, which has implications for the basis of organizational capability, the principles of organization design, and the determinants of the horizontal and vertical boundaries of the firm.
Abstract: Given assumptions about the characteristics of knowledge and the knowledge requirements of production, the firm is conceptualized as an institution for integrating knowledge. The primary contribution of the paper is in exploring the coordination mechanisms through which firms integrate the specialist knowledge of their members. In contrast to earlier literature, knowledge is viewed as residing within the individual, and the primary role of the organization is knowledge application rather than knowledge creation. The resulting theory has implications for the basis of organizational capability, the principles of organization design (in particular, the analysis of hierarchy and the distribution of decision-making authority), and the determinants of the horizontal and vertical boundaries of the firm. More generally, the knowledge-based approach sheds new light upon current organizational innovations and trends and has far-reaching implications for management practice.
11,779 citations
TL;DR: A typology of service organizations is presented and a conceptual framework is advanced for exploring the impact of physical surroundings on the behaviors of both customers and employees as mentioned in this paper, where the authors propose a typology for service organizations.
Abstract: A typology of service organizations is presented and a conceptual framework is advanced for exploring the impact of physical surroundings on the behaviors of both customers and employees. The abili...
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