The main objective of this study is to assess and analyze value co-creation in a complex service system from a human-centered point of view. In fulfilling the ambitious goal of integrating cooperative and human-friendly robots, value co-creation should innovate service through the reinvention of the creation of value between robots (i.e., the entire service system) and customers.
Solving the upcoming challenges of co-creating value in the service sector is related to the method we create well-being in a transformative manner. This method could also use the perspective of service innovation in the complex environment by integrating multiple services that can be adjusted to the specific needs of customers, such as the relatively young and healthy seniors.
This study is explorative and built around the following concepts based on transformative research: value co-creation, complexity, service innovation, and transformative service. This illustrates these concepts with the case of building robots to provide assistance during activities, such as walking and other physical activities, in an old age house. This study also focuses on describing the challenges of understanding service innovation in the complex service system of service offering toward co-creating value. Such challenges are exemplified from the technical point of view (e.g., multipurpose design concept, human-in-the-loop control, etc.) in the development of a human-friendly walking assistive robot vehicle designed to support the walking activity of relatively young and healthy seniors.
This study applies the perspective of complexity in service innovation to the case of adding robots in co-creating value. Our findings replicate the theoretical contributions of elements for conceptualizing value co-creation and service innovation in the service systems by adding the roles of robots, namely, interaction between care receiver and robot, as well as care receiver and care givers, among others.
The current study reveals the challenges of transformative service thinking in the human-centered complex service systems in the manner in which service is innovated and understood, as well as the role of integrating services and well-being. This study aims to describe the challenges of understanding complexity and the role of robot services from the service research perspective.
Furthermore, this study makes an original contribution to the current discussions on service research toward transformative service and complexity based on services that co-create value. Future research in this area should focus on generalizing the present findings by studying the integration and understanding of service research and transformative service in other empirical settings and conceptualizations.
2016. s. 256-263
value co-creation, service innovation, complexity, transformative services, robot, service
7th International Research Symposium in Service Management. Hosted by Mahidol University International College 2nd – 6th August 2016