Developing service research - paving the way to transdisciplinary research

: Anders Gustafsson, Claes Högström, Zoe Radnor, Margareta Friman, Kristina Heinonen, Elina Jaakkola, Christina Mele

Publisher: Emerald

: 2016

: Journal of Service Management

: 27

: 1

: 9

: 20

: 12

: 1757-5818

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JOSM-03-2015-0098

: http://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/pdfplus/10.1108/JOSM-03-2015-0098

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss how service, as an interdisciplinary area of research,

can increase its potential for transdisciplinary contributions from the perspective of what signifies

intra-, multi-, inter-, and transdisciplinary research.

Design/methodology/approach – The essay first discusses common perspectives on the service

concept before presenting a review on what signifies intra-, multi-, inter-, and transdisciplinary research.

The emerging theoretical framework is followed by a discussion on the challenges and opportunities for

service research in making interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary theoretical contributions.

Findings – The research provides a typological framework for understanding intra-, multi-, inter-, and

transdisciplinary service research and, implications related to how service research contributions can

become increasingly inter- and transdisciplinary.

Originality/value – The paper contributes to widening the scope of service research by focussing on

how the domain can overcome hurdles and increase its potential for making theoretical contributions

that are applicable across and beyond established research disciplines.

Keywords Interdisciplinary research, Service research, Intradisciplinary research,

Multidisciplinary research, Transdisciplinary research

Paper type Conceptual paper