Practice styles and service systems

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine how practices influence service systems.

Design/methodology/approach

Data across three service contexts (crafts, healthcare and fitness) were collected through depth interviews and netnographic analysis, and analyzed with a two-study multi-method approach focusing first on the micro- (individual) level and then on the macro- (network) level of service systems. Study 1 focused on a micro-level analysis using qualitative techniques (Spiggle, 1994). Study 2 focused on a macro-level analysis using partial least squares regression.

Findings

The results illustrate how practices can change service systems. This occurs when a nuanced practice (i.e. a practice style) orders and roots a service system in a specific form of value creation. The findings reveal four practice styles: individual-extant, social-extant, individual-modified and social-modified practice styles. These practice styles shift in response to event triggers and change service systems. These event triggers are: service beneficiary enhancement, service beneficiary failure, service provider failure and social change. Thus, the findings show that practices – when shifting in response to event triggers – change service systems. This transpires in the understudied meta-layer of a service system.

Practical implications

The study identifies four practice styles that can serve as the basis for segmentation and service design.

Originality/value

Service systems are dynamic and ever changing. This study explores how service systems change by proposing a practice approach to service systems.

Citation

Chandler, J.D. and Chen, S. (2016), "Practice styles and service systems", Journal of Service Management, Vol. 27 No. 5, pp. 798-830. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOSM-09-2015-0293