Building blocks for customer-centric service ecosystems

Abstract

Purpose – This research presents and empirically tests a framework that contains the building blocks of customer-centric service ecosystems. This framework discerns between organizational and institutional building blocks. Design/methodology/approach – To test the proposed framework, the current research uses two case studies in the pharmaceutical industry. This industry is particularly well suited for the current research as pharmaceutical companies are actively moving towards service ecosystems to co-create better patient value. At the same time, the industry is characterized by an elaborate set of institutions that enable or constrain collaboration and interaction. Findings – This paper contributes to the service literature by examining how two large pharmaceutical companies build and manage a customer-centric service ecosystem. The authors argue that organizations should pro-actively manage both organizational and institutional building blocks in order to effectively create customer-centric service ecosystems. Research limitations – The investigation is limited to two case studies. Practical implications – This research provides managerial guidelines with respect to building and managing customer-centric service ecosystems. Social implications – By gaining insight into building and managing customer-centric service ecosystems, pharmaceutical companies can use such ecosystems more effectively in order to co-create better patient value which ultimately contributes to patients’ well-being and quality of life. Originality/value – This paper is the first case-based investigation of the role of organizational and institutional building blocks in customer-centric service ecosystems. Paper type – Case study