Equilibrating resources and challenges during crises: a framework for service ecosystem well-being
ISSN: 1757-5818
Article publication date: 10 August 2020
Issue publication date: 17 November 2020
Abstract
Purpose
This article explores the impact of crises, such as the coronavirus pandemic, on service industries, service customers, and the service research community. It contextualizes pandemics in the realm of disasters and crises, and how they influence actors' well-being across the different levels of the service ecosystem. The paper introduces a resources–challenges equilibrium (RCE) framework across system levels to facilitate service ecosystem well-being and outlines a research agenda for service scholars.
Design/methodology/approach
Literature on disasters, crises, service and well-being is synthesized to embed the COVID-19 pandemic in these bodies of work. The material is then distilled to introduce the novel RCE framework for service ecosystems, and points of departure for researchers are developed.
Findings
A service ecosystems view of well-being co-creation entails a dynamic interplay of actors' challenges faced and resource pools available at the different system levels.
Research limitations/implications
Service scholars are called to action to conduct timely and relevant research on pandemics and other crises, that affect service industry, service customers, and society at large. This conceptual paper focuses on service industries and service research and therefore excludes other industries and research domains.
Practical implications
Managers of service businesses as well as heads of governmental agencies and policy makers require an understanding of the interdependence of the different system levels and the challenges faced versus the resources available to each individual actor as well as to communities and organizations.
Social implications
Disasters can change the social as well as the service-related fabric of society and industry. New behaviors have to be learned and new processes put in place for society to maintain well-being and for service industry's survival.
Originality/value
This paper fuses the coronavirus pandemic with service and well-being research, introduces a resources-challenges equilibrium framework for service ecosystem well-being and outlines a research agenda.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This paper forms part of a special section “The Coronavirus Crisis and Beyond: Implications for Service Research and Practice”, guest edited by Dr. Volker G. Kuppelwieser and Dr. Jörg Finsterwalder.As guest editors, we would like to thank professor Jay Kandampully, editor of the Journal of Service Management (JOSM), for his flexibility and openness to making available at short notice slots for a special section with selected articles on The Coronavirus Crisis and Beyond: Implications for Service Research and Practice. We would also like to thank Linda Alkire (née Nasr), JOSM editorial director, for her support in realizing this project. We believe it is important to initiate and publish work relating to society's big challenges in a very timely manner. While at the time of writing it is still unclear how the coronavirus crisis will develop, papers in this special section endeavor to either shed first light on service-related matters or provide first empirical insights relating to the crisis. We also thank the authors of the papers published in this special section for making this special section happen in such a short timeframe while potentially facing personal and/or professional challenges of their own relating to COVID-19.
Citation
Finsterwalder, J. and Kuppelwieser, V.G. (2020), "Equilibrating resources and challenges during crises: a framework for service ecosystem well-being", Journal of Service Management, Vol. 31 No. 6, pp. 1107-1129. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOSM-06-2020-0201
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited