Service system transformation through service design: Linking analytical dimensions and service design approaches

Abstract

The increasingly interconnected world is leading to continuous and profound transformations within and among service systems (e.g., firms, industries, societies). While service research studying such transformations is growing, the literature is missing a conceptualization of service system transformation (SST) that accounts for the richness and diversity of the phenomenon. This hinders the development of approaches to intentionally influence SST toward desired paths. Providing an integrated, multidimensional understanding of SST, this paper explores how service design can intentionally influence SST. To do so, the paper contributes by advancing conceptual clarity of SST and delineating three analytical dimensions—scope, endurance, and paradigmatic radicalness—that, in combination, provide a framework for understanding the diversity of the transformations unfolding within and across service systems. Building upon this conceptualization, the paper systematizes how service design approaches can foster SST along these dimensions, setting the ground for service design to further strengthen its transformative potential.