The Role of Emergence in Service Systems

Abstract

It has been recognized that a service systems perspective, informed by service-dominant logic, provides a dynamic approach for studying value cocreation. According to this view, value is the increase in the viability of the system in which actors co-create value. A construct from systems theory -emergencecan be of particular interest in contributing to and detracting from systems viability. Emergence is related to the nonlinear interactions characterizing systems' elements that can give rise to novel and unpredictable properties not contained in the elements. This paper relates emergence to service systems based on the service-dominant logic and systems theory literature. Such issues can be useful for service science scholars to identify new research avenues for service systems.unpredictable [38]. Thus, emergent properties can result in new opportunities for the development and viability of service systems, but being unexpected (making them a particular case of system change [32]) can also cause them to appear as threats [32]. Thus, emergence should be better understood and embraced.By introducing a focus on the emergent properties of systems, emergence requires a shift systems thinking (the process of thinking using systems ideas [15]). Moreover, many constructs from systems theory (which accept as given the status of systems as things in the world) can be beneficially applied to further delve into emergent properties.After the analysis of the main insights of emergence i n t h e s y s t e m s t h e o r y l i t e r a t u r e ( S e c . 2 ) , a s h o r t overview of service ecosystems and service systems and the importance of emergence to them is provided (Sec. 3); then (Sec. 4), the main issues of emergence from systems theory are related to service systems based on the S-D logic and systems theory literature. These issues --knowledge, adaptation in context, and interactions -can be useful for service scholars to identify new research avenues for service systems, these latter of which are discussed in Sec. 5. Emergence and systems theoryThe word "system" has Greek roots and means "organized whole". A system can be conceived as "elements in standing relationship" [69], emphasizing the way in which the relationships between the elements are organized and thus the role of every element in such organizations.Emergence is an important aspect of systems. Although multiple definitions and perspectives on emergence have been provided in the literature, irreducibility seems to be the common denominator, implying that emergent properties have no meaning (or, in other words, cannot be reduced) at the level of the systems' elements [46]. Thus, in ecology, "cloud streets" and "sand ripples" have been considered examples of manifestations of emergent properties. Another common example is water, which shows the wetness property not reducible to the single atoms of

Institutions and technology in the value co-creation process of restaurant consumers: a service-dominant logic perspective

“…Besides, this finding confirms that fast-food restaurants are no longer competitive, especially in terms of ownership of operand resources, but are increasingly in operant resources, which needs to be translated into more innovative market offerings and solutions (Liu et al , 2018). Manager engagement is needed in the value co-creation process and the sustainability of the service ecosystem (Polese et al , 2020). Restaurants must keep on offering innovative services to encourage value co-creation activities (Yen et al , 2020).…”

Why Service Science matters in approaching a "resilient" Society

“…The complex phenomenon of emergence is importantly studied today in relation to the evolution of Service-dominant (S-D) logic and the formation of institutions and service ecosystems [60], [61]. Recently, emergence has been related to the service systems literature, based on Service-Dominant Logic, as a method theory, and systems theory [62]. Service systems' adaptation in context, actors' knowledge empowered by information and communication technologies, and actors' interactions for resource integration have been identified as key elements fostering emergence.…”

From knowledge co-creation to value co-creation and beyond: challenging global emergency in smart service systems.

“…To analyze how the technological challenges posed by pandemic can redefine human-computer interactions, organizations should be re-conceptualized as smart service systems, Lim and Maglio, 2019) to take into account how the increased connectivity and the technological "forced" evolution of Covid-era era can improve information sharing, data analysis and knowledge exchange analyze by improving innovation opportunities (Spohrer and Demirkan, 2015;Polese et al, 2020a). Through the lens of service science, organizations can be explored as complex systems in which the active engagement of people, through human-computer interactions and information sharing with organizations, can lead to the codevelopment of innovative solutions for the well-being of all the stakeholders in the system.…”