Purpose-The purpose of this article is to present exciting and innovative research questions in service operations that are aligned with eight key themes and related topics determined by the Journal of Service Management (JOSM) Service Operations Expert Research Panel. By offering a good number of such research questions, we provide a broad range of ideas to spur conceptual and empirical research related to service operations. As a result, we hope to encourage the continued creation of deep knowledge within the field, as well as collaborative research across disciplines that develop and incorporate insights from service operations. Design/methodology/approach-Based on a Delphi study, described in the companion article, "Service Operations: What Have We Learned?," the panel identified eight key research themes in service operations where leading-edge research is being done or has yet to be done (Victorino, et al., 2018). In this article, we select three or four topics within each theme and propose multiple questions for each topic to guide research efforts. The topics and questions, while wide-ranging, are representative of the many ongoing research opportunities related to service operations. Findings-The field of service operations has many interesting research topics and questions that are largely unexplored. Furthermore, these research areas are not only increasingly integrative across multiple themes within operations but often transcend functional disciplines. This creates opportunities for ever more impactful research with a greater reach throughout the service system and suggests that service researchers, regardless of functional affiliation, can contribute to the ongoing conversation on the role of service operations in value creation. Originality/value-We leverage the collective knowledge of the JOSM Service Operations Expert Research Panel to elaborate on the research themes generated from the Delphi study and put forward novel questions for future study. Recognizing that the number of potential research questions is virtually unlimited, we also provide summary questions by theme and topic. These questions represent a synopsis of the individual questions and can serve as a quick reference guide for researchers interested in pursuing new directions in conceptual and empirical research in service operations. This summary also serves as a framework to facilitate the formulation of additional research topics and questions.

T his study formally develops and empirically tests a new construct, termed service improvisation competence (Serv-IC), that constitutes a novel way to improve customer experience in high-contact service contexts. Serv-IC is operationalized as the systemic ability of a service firm's employees to deviate from established service delivery processes and routines to respond in a timely manner to unforeseen events using available resources. Serv-IC is a realized operational competence resulting from a deliberate set of service design choices consistent with a firm's service concept. The construct embodies a multidisciplinary perspective that explains, in part, how some firms can systemically use employee improvisation to align service processes and employee behaviors in the presence of customer-induced uncertainty. As a first, theory-building step we follow a rigorous, two-stage approach to develop a reliable and valid multi-item measurement scale for Serv-IC, emphasizing discriminant validity with related concepts. We then introduce a set of experientially based service design choices that constitute a Serv-IC deployment strategy. Finally, we investigate its effect on customer satisfaction. Our empirical results show that Serv-IC can play an important role in satisfying customers within certain boundaries. Counter to conventional wisdom, Serv-IC increases customer satisfaction in lower-tier hotels more than in upscale ones.

Interest in the concept of open innovation (OI) has increased during recent years; yet, this line of inquiry remains limited due to the lack of a more comprehensive conceptual framework. As a first step toward a unifying framework, we provide a critical review of previous research on the conceptualization, antecedents, and consequences of OI. We then offer a typology describing four OI strategies: (i) innovation seeker, (ii) innovation provider, (iii) intermediary, and (iv) open innovator, which emerge through unique combinations of sources of innovation, firm attributes, and mechanisms of inter-organizational exchange, and produce varying outcomes. Finally, we discuss our typology's implications for theory and practice, and advance potential research avenues.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify research themes in service operations that have great potential for exciting and innovative conceptual and empirical work. To frame these research themes, the paper provides a systematic literature review of operations articles published in the Journal of Service Management (JOSM). The thorough review of published work in JOSM and proposed research themes are presented in hopes that they will inspire impactful research on service operations. These themes are further developed in a companion paper, “Service operations: what’s next?” (Field et al., 2018). Design/methodology/approach The JOSM Service Operations Expert Research Panel conducted a Delphi study to generate research themes where leading-edge research on service operations is being done or has yet to be done. Nearly 700 articles published in JOSM from its inception through 2016 were reviewed and classified by discipline focus. The subset of service operations articles was then further categorized according to the eight identified research themes plus an additional category that primarily represented traditional manufacturing approaches applied in service settings. Findings From the Delphi study, the following key themes emerged: service supply networks, evaluating and measuring service operations performance, understanding customer and employee behavior in service operations, managing servitization, managing knowledge-based service contexts, managing participation roles and responsibilities in service operations, addressing society’s challenges through service operations, and the operational implications of the sharing economy. Based on the literature review, approximately 20 percent of the published work in JOSM is operations focused, with earlier articles predominantly applying traditional manufacturing approaches in service settings. However, the percentage of these traditional types of articles has been steadily decreasing, suggesting a trend toward dedicated research frameworks and themes that are unique to the design and management of services operations. Originality/value The paper presents key research themes for advancing conceptual and empirical research on service operations. Additionally, a review of the past and current landscape of operations articles published in JOSM offers an understanding of the scholarly conversation so far and sets a foundation from which to build future research.

Interest in the concept of open innovation (OI) has increased during recent years; yet, this line of inquiry remains limited due to the lack of a more comprehensive conceptual framework. As a first step toward a unifying framework, we provide a critical review of previous research on the conceptualization, antecedents, and consequences of OI. We then offer a typology describing four OI strategies: (i) innovation seeker, (ii) innovation provider, (iii) intermediary, and (iv) open innovator, which emerge through unique combinations of sources of innovation, firm attributes, mechanisms of interorganizational exchange, and produce varying outcomes. Finally, we discuss our typology's implications for theory and practice, and advance some potential research avenues.