|
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Center for Services Leadership
W. P. Carey School of Business
P.O. Box 874106
Tempe, AZ 85287-4106
Phone: 480-965-6201
Fax: 480-965-2180
Email: csl@asu.edu
|
|
What is Service Science?
Service Science is an emerging and evolving term that is rapidly growing in use among engineers, business people, computer scientists, and academics worldwide to capture momentum related to service economy growth, the global need for service innovation, and the accompanying demands for service research and education. The term is used to capture trans-disciplinary research, scientific initiatives, new multi-disciplinary educational offerings, and innovative concepts related to service and services. Catalyzed by the visionary efforts of IBM’s Research Centers, the academic services pioneers, and some governments and quasi-governmental entities, there is a growing awareness of Service Science worldwide.
While the final outcome is still unclear, this focus on services may ultimately lead to the formation of a new discipline (e.g., “service science” or “services science, management and engineering”). At the very least, there will be greater cross-disciplinary collaboration to address educational as well as knowledge development needs in the every-expanding service economies of the world.
Definitions of Service Science
Since the term is evolving and the field is still emerging, there is no one universally accepted definition of service science. Here are several that capture the current essence: IBM’s Definition: Service Science, Management and Engineering (SSME) is a new multi-disciplinary research and academic effort that integrates aspects of established fields such as computer science, operations research, engineering, management sciences, business strategy, social and cognitive sciences, and legal sciences. ASU’s Center for Services Leadership Definition: Service Science is an emerging (multi)discipline that focuses on fundamental science, models, theories and applications to drive innovation, competition, and quality of life through service(s). Wikipedia Definition: Service Science, Management, and Engineering (SSME) is an interdisciplinary approach to the study, design, and implementation of service systems – complex systems in which specific arrangements of people and technologies take actions that provide value for others. More precisely, SSME has been defined as the application of science, management, and engineering disciplines to tasks that one organization beneficially performs for and with another. Today, SSME is an urgent call to action for academia, industry, and governments to focus on becoming more systematic about innovation in the service sector, which is the largest sector of the economy in most industrialized nations, and is fast becoming the largest sector in developing nations as well. SSME is also a proposed academic discipline and research area that would complement – rather than replace – the many disciplines that contribute to knowledge about service.
IBM'S Catalytic Role
IBM Corporation, through its Research Centers, particularly at Almaden and T. J. Watson, has been a leading catalyst for service science worldwide. Since 2004 the company has sought to energize researchers and businesses globally to devote energies to this emerging discipline. The corporation's vision is captured on its web site, research.ibm.com/ssme: "Services Sciences, Management and Engineering (SSME) hopes to bring together ongoing work in computer science, operations research, industrial engineering, business strategy, management sciences, social and cognitive sciences, and legal sciences to develop the skills required in a services-led economy." As it did with computer science in the 1950's, IBM hopes to provide the impetus behind the development of significant research and education to support the global service economies of the present and future.
Service Science at ASU/CSL
Within the business disciplines, Arizona State University (ASU), through our Center for Services Leadership, has been a leader for over twenty years in developing knowledge and educational programs for services management and marketing. To this end, we have led trans-disciplinary research across the business disciplines of operations, marketing, and human resources and with leading private sector, for-profit businesses. Today, with the encouragement of university leaders and our Board of Advisors, we have embarked on a journey to replicate and enlarge these successes by expanding the scope of services leadership. Through this expansion, the CSL is becoming even more cross disciplinary - spanning the social sciences, engineering, and computer science - within our own institution and with alliance partners. Beyond the academic disciplines, we also envision greater involvement of governments, industry associations, private foundations, and non-profit entities to support service innovation research and education.
Our current research and education efforts and initiatives related to Service Science are captured in the paper "Service Science Journey: Foundations, Progress, Challenges" presented at IBM's Service Summit in Palisades NY, October 2006.
Service Science Publications
Download the White Paper: "Succeeding Through Service Innovation - A service perspective for education, research, business and government." The Kelley School of Business, Indiana University, is celebrating its 50th anniversary of the journal, Business Horizons. In honor of this anniversary, we are happy to feature a preview of a paper entitled "The Service Imperative", by Drs. Mary Jo Bitner and Stephen W. Brown. This paper is featured in the special 50th anniversary editions of Business Horizons. Services Science Journey: Foundations, Progress, Challenges. Bitner, Brown, Goul, Urban. Arizona State University. This paper is part of the book series: Service Science, Management and Engineering: Education for the 21st Century. This series is available here: Service Science: Research and Innovations in the Service Economy.
A new academic discipline needed for the 21st century. Poole (April 6, 2007). Triangle Business Journal.
Academia Dissects the Service Sector, but Is It a Science? (registration required) (NY Times) March 10, 2006
The Emergence of Service Science: Toward systematic service innovations to accelerate co-creation of value. Spohrer and Maglio Center for Services Leadership Faculty Abstracts Booklet - This collection of abstracts is representative of the research being conducted by the Center for Services Leadership and Marketing Department faculty at Arizona State University.
Service Science Organizations
Service Science Presentations
|
|
|
