Service research: progress toward interdisciplinary collaboration

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to promote a broadened view of service research and to demonstrate a path for integrating interdisciplinary perspectives with services marketing. Design/methodology/approach Two major streams of service literature are reviewed, highlighting key conceptual developments in each. Through synthesis of prior literature, a research framework and agenda are developed. Findings The findings indicate that major service research areas have been extensively explored, yet service literature is fragmented on key concepts. This can make it challenging to collaborate across disciplines. This work develops a framework for integrating concepts across disciplines to foster more impactful work. Originality/value This work presents a unique framework for integrating interdisciplinary perspectives with services marketing. Moreover, a research agenda for the specific purpose of promoting collaboration across disciplines is presented.

Mapping of Journal of Services Marketing themes: a retrospective overview using bibliometric analysis

“…A few highlighted the need for more managerially relevant research (Bolton, 2020), better theorizing (Brodie and Peters, 2020), as well as the need for interdisciplinary research (Hult et al 2020). These However, we highlight that there are many other important service topics that need investigation, as identified by various scholars based on different perspectives.…”

The impact of coronavirus on business: developing service research agenda for a post-coronavirus world

“…Such articles have recently proliferated as scholars have aimed to develop research priorities for both academia and practice (Ostrom et al, 2010;Aksoy et al, 2019). In the first eight months of 2020, several published studies have already analysed the discipline's research streams to evaluate its maturity and set up its future (Bolton, 2020;Furrer et al, 2020;Hult et al, 2020). The overarching goal of their efforts is to guide decisions of academia, businesspeople and policymakers and spur research to advance the field of service globally.…”

“…In a second group, studies come from the authors' conceptual development (Bolton, 2020;Hult et al, 2020). By recognizing the gap between societal needs and scholarly knowledge about service and the urgency to perform responsible research-that is, research that is useful to society-Bolton (2020) adopts a societal problem-driven perspective and addresses three leading research responsible principles: (1) the development of knowledge that benefits society, (2) the involvement of multiple stakeholders in the scientific process and (3) making an impact on stakeholders.…”

“…Such principles are discussed in terms of societal issues such as individual and societal needs for privacy, security and transparency; the ethical sourcing and treatment of service workers; and the impact of service actions on environmental outcomes. Hult et al (2020) recognize the integration of interdisciplinary perspectives in service research. Their research agenda focuses mainly on two areas-frontline employees and self-service technologies-highlighting the importance of collaboration between services marketing and other disciplines (e.g.…”

“…During this current crisis and change, scholars have recognized the need to identify research directions as crucial (Furrer et al, 2020). As the COVID-19 pandemic represents a dramatic turn of events (Ostrom et al, 2015;Hult et al, 2020), it has spurred service researchers to question previous and well-established research priorities and conduct responsible research to bridge theory and practice "by building knowledge that is useful to businesses, individuals, communities, institutions, society and the bio-environment" (Bolton, 2020, p. 279).…”