Discussing the potential of the institutional theory to leverage service-dominant logic advancements

Abstract

Purpose – Institutions play a central role in service-dominant logic. However, the discussion regarding how institutional theory supports service-dominant logic advancements is still insufficient. This paper aims to contribute to a discussion on the multiple service-dominant logic approaches to institutions. Design/methodology/approach – This conceptual paper presents the characterization of the existing streams in the broad institutional literature, highlighting the differences among those streams and elaborates on how one of the discussed streams – neo-institutionalism – is suitable to support service-dominant researchers in understanding the role of institutions in markets and value co-creation. Findings – The paper shows that the three institutional perspectives presented are used indistinctly by service-dominant logic and a greater fit between the service-dominant logic and the neo-institutionalism stands out. Originality/value – The paper proposes that service-dominant researchers should look at the neoinstitutional stream as a particularly fertile ground for furthering their research. Keywords Institutional theory, Institutions, Institutional logics, Neo-institutionalism, Service-dominant logic, Rational choice institutionalism