Future research agenda and its implications
| Themes | Research questions building on the focus group discussions | Theoretical implications | Practical implications |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1) Materiality in service design | • How do different understandings of “service design materials” influence expectations and perceptions of impact within service organizations? • What factors enable or hinder the transition from project-based outputs to programmatic, outcome-oriented service design approaches? • In what ways can the Customer Journey Management (CJM) model support the sustained integration of customer-centric culture within service organizations? • How do customer experience management and measurement practices support or hinder the development of customer journeys as a managerial and operational approach? • What role does service design play in driving optimization and process transformation within service organizations? | • This research builds on ongoing discussions in service and design research concerning value co-creation across organizational actors and the role of materiality in shaping service experiences. It contributes a more holistic and sustainability oriented perspective on service design as a systemic and embedded practice • By framing service design as an organizational capability rather than a project-bound intervention, this research advances theoretical discourse in transformation design and strategic design. • It bridges service research and change management literature and contributes to the service ecosystem perspective, particularly regarding institutional arrangements and service ecosystem design • This work contributes to the emerging discourse on service design materialities by introducing frameworks such as the Customer Journey Management (CJM) model. It establishes theoretical linkages between service design and organizational change cultures, enriching the dialogue within customer experience (CX) and CX management research | • Clarifying what is being designed (e.g. outcomes vs outputs) helps service designers align expectations with other organizational actors, supporting more strategic outcome-oriented collaboration • Provides actionable strategies for embedding service design into ongoing organizational programs (e.g. through customer journey ops, capability-building) • Introduces practical tools (e.g. the Customer Journey Operations model) and managerial frameworks that integrate customer-led and design-driven approaches. These support service and experience teams in embedding customer journeys into operational systems such as KPIs, OKRs and cross-functional workflows • Offers actionable insights on how service design can navigate cost-cutting or restructuring periods while safeguarding the values and experiences of key service actors, such as customers and employees |
| 2) Organizational logics | • How can organizational leadership support design competencies throughout the organization? • How does organizational design maturity relate to the development and integration of customer-centric logics in service organizations? • How can service design gain legitimacy and build strategic influence in organizations governed by non-design-centric logics? • What constitutes ‘organizational literacy’ for service designers, and how does it impact their ability to influence strategic decision-making and value co-creation? • What is the role of storytelling (both qualitative and quantitative) in promoting the value of design within service organizations? • What are the advantages and limitations of integrating OKRs as performance metrics in programmatic, outcome-oriented service design initiatives? | • Informing service ecosystem perspectives by understanding how leadership acts as an enabler of design capabilities, influencing the conditions for value co-creation and innovation within service organizations • Advances research on service design integration by framing its strategic influence through the lens of organizational logics, highlighting how design practices interface with dominant institutional orientations such as efficiency, control and compliance • Establishes conceptual bridges between customer-dominant logic (CDL), service-dominant logic (SDL) and design maturity frameworks by examining how organizational logics influence the embedding of design. It introduces “organizational literacy”’ as a meta-competency for service designers, enabling navigation across institutional arrangements and supporting systemic change within organizations • Contributes to transformative service research (TSR) by positioning storytelling as a mechanism of sensemaking and cultural embedding within service ecosystems | • Support leadership to sustain a customer-centric view encompassing long-term strategies rather than isolated projects Develop strategic metrics to measure design impact that aligns with broader organizational goals, improving the visibility of design’s value and impact • Offer methods for using qualitative narratives and quantitative evidence to communicate the value of design to organizational actors, enabling stronger internal buy-in and alignment with strategic priorities |
| 3) Technological transformations | • What is the role of human creativity in identifying and shaping novel applications of AI within service ecosystems? • How can AI technologies be integrated across different stages of the service design process (e.g. user research, ideation, prototyping) and what ethical, social and environmental considerations must be addressed in doing so? • In what ways do AI-generated insights, such as AI personas and segmentation avatars, shape service development and co-creation processes, and what are the risks of bias, manipulation or over-reliance on such insights in decision-making? • How does the use of AI as a design material influence the creation of future-facing service interfaces, particularly within hybrid “phygital” environments? • What is the role of AI and automation in optimizing customer journeys? | • Advancing existing theories on innovation and creativity to account for human–AI creativity • AI as a service design material – proposing new conceptual models on how AI is shaped as a material of service and how it shapes human experience. This advances the understanding of non-traditional, dynamic materials in service ecosystems • Developing new conceptual frameworks for AI-enhanced customer journey management (CJM) , enriching service research with models that integrate AI capabilities (e.g. real-time data, predictive analytics, automation) into customer-centric value creation and adaptive service orchestration | • Understanding the unique role of human creativity in the conceptualization and implementation of AI applications enables service designers to effectively balance generative AI capabilities with human intuition, empathy, and contextual sensitivity during innovation processes While AI can streamline workflows and enhance customer journey optimization, service designers must proactively address ethical concerns such as algorithmic bias, opacity, and manipulation, embedding transparency, fairness and user agency into AI-enabled services • AI in service is both a constituent part of service and a tool leveraged in service design. When shaping AI-powered service, designers need to carefully consider how AI influences service personalization, customer experience, optimization and efficiency, while addressing ethical considerations |
| 4) Sustainable and inclusive futures | • How do “gentle, empathetic, and systematic” design interventions contribute to broader organizational transformation towards eco-social responsibility? • What strategies can support service designers’ resilience and reflexivity in navigating increasingly complex and volatile work environments? • What are the key enablers and barriers for scaling sustainability from pioneering service design initiatives to fully integrated organizational practices? • How do differing interpretations of “preferred futures” among designers and other organizational actors shape the co-design of inclusive and regenerative services? | • Contributes to frameworks such as Service-Dominant Logic (SDL) by exploring the designer's role in value co-creation with sustainability as a central concern Advances theorization around the institutionalization of design practices and design as capability-building for service sustainability • Bridges anticipatory design, futures literacy, and service design by highlighting how designers navigate and shape multiple, contested future imaginaries in service contexts. Contributes to emerging service research discourses on value pluralism, ethical design practice and the politics of future-making in service ecosystems | • Provides actionable strategies for embedding sustainability into everyday design practices through empathetic, incremental influence • Supports the development of training modules, mentorship structures and peer-support systems for resilient and reflexive design practice • Provides roadmaps and frameworks for sustainable service, relevant for public-, private- and third-sector actors Encourages more reflective and culturally sensitive service co-creation and co-design practices. Informs service design education and professional development to equip designers with tools for negotiating multiple futures in designing for sustainability and inclusivity |
| 5) Service designer as a professional identity | • How do service designers construct and negotiate their professional identity within service ecosystems shaped by multiple institutional logics (e.g. efficiency, customer-centricity, innovation)? • How can the concept of change agent promote the adoption of new working practices that nurture a customer-centered organization culture? • What are the discipline-based competencies contributing to the effective customer-centered transformation in service organizations? • What are the context-based and specialized competencies needed to advance the development of future services? • What are the implications of positioning service design as a strategic enabler rather than a project-based intervention for long-term service innovation? | • A transdisciplinary view on organizational change competencies in service research integrating business, organizational management and design research. By examining the strategic positioning of service design, this research adds to the conversation about design capabilities as long-term enablers of innovation, not just tools for short-term projects • This research advances service design theory by identifying and conceptualizing the organizational variables, such as working practices, cultural norms and structural enablers, that support the sustained adoption of customer-centricity. • It extends current understanding of service design from isolated service development efforts to its role as a long-term organizational capability embedded across service ecosystems | • Offers guidance to managers and leaders on how to better integrate and support service designers in strategic roles, especially in organizations navigating conflicting logics • Providing a foundation for recognizing and defining a change agent role, competencies, and the conditions needed to promote design as a transformative agent in the workplace • Reframing and positioning of service design roles as direct contributions to organizational transformation, leadership and strategy • Supports educational institutions in designing curricula that prepare service professionals for complex, multi-stakeholder ecosystems |
| Themes | Research questions building on the focus group discussions | Theoretical implications | Practical implications |
|---|---|---|---|
| • How do different understandings of “service design materials” influence expectations and perceptions of impact within service organizations? | • This research builds on ongoing discussions in service and design research concerning value co-creation across organizational actors and the role of materiality in shaping service experiences. It contributes a more holistic and sustainability oriented perspective on service design as a systemic and embedded practice | • Clarifying what is being designed (e.g. outcomes vs outputs) helps service designers align expectations with other organizational actors, supporting more strategic outcome-oriented collaboration | |
| • How can organizational leadership support design competencies throughout the organization? | • Informing service ecosystem perspectives by understanding how leadership acts as an enabler of design capabilities, influencing the conditions for value co-creation and innovation within service organizations | • Support leadership to sustain a customer-centric view encompassing long-term strategies rather than isolated projects | |
| • What is the role of human creativity in identifying and shaping novel applications of AI within service ecosystems? | • Advancing existing theories on innovation and creativity to account for human–AI creativity | • Understanding the unique role of human creativity in the conceptualization and implementation of AI applications enables service designers to effectively balance generative AI capabilities with human intuition, empathy, and contextual sensitivity during innovation processes | |
| • How do “gentle, empathetic, and systematic” design interventions contribute to broader organizational transformation towards eco-social responsibility? | • Contributes to frameworks such as Service-Dominant Logic (SDL) by exploring the designer's role in value co-creation with sustainability as a central concern | • Provides actionable strategies for embedding sustainability into everyday design practices through empathetic, incremental influence | |
| • How do service designers construct and negotiate their professional identity within service ecosystems shaped by multiple institutional logics (e.g. efficiency, customer-centricity, innovation)? | • A transdisciplinary view on organizational change competencies in service research integrating business, organizational management and design research. By examining the strategic positioning of service design, this research adds to the conversation about design capabilities as long-term enablers of innovation, not just tools for short-term projects | • Offers guidance to managers and leaders on how to better integrate and support service designers in strategic roles, especially in organizations navigating conflicting logics |
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