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Elevating the human experience (HX) through service research collaborations: introducing ServCollab

Raymond P. Fisk (McCoy College of Business, Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas, USA)
Linda Alkire (née Nasr) (McCoy College of Business, Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas, USA)
Laurel Anderson (W.P. Carey School of Business, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA)
David E. Bowen (Thunderbird School of Global Management, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA)
Thorsten Gruber (Centre for Service Management (CSM), School of Business and Economics, Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK)
Amy L. Ostrom (W.P. Carey School of Business, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA)
Lia Patrício (Faculty of Engineering, INESC TEC and University of Porto, Porto, Portugal)

Journal of Service Management

ISSN: 1757-5818

Article publication date: 18 May 2020

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Abstract

Purpose

Elevating the human experience (HX) through research collaborations is the purpose of this article. ServCollab facilitates and supports service research collaborations that seek to reduce human suffering and improve human well-being.

Design/methodology/approach

To catalyze this initiative, the authors introduce ServCollab's three human rights goals (serve, enable and transform), standards of justice for serving humanity (distributive, procedural and interactional justice) and research approaches for serving humanity (service design and community action research).

Research implications

ServCollab seeks to advance the service research field via large-scale service research projects that pursue theory building, research and action. Service inclusion is the first focus of ServCollab and is illustrated through two projects (transformative refugee services and virtual assistants in social care). This paper seeks to encourage collaboration in more large-scale service research projects that elevate the HX.

Practical implications

ServCollab seeks to raise the aspirations of service researchers, expand the skills of service research teams and build mutually collaborative service research approaches that transform human lives.

Originality/value

ServCollab is a unique organization within the burgeoning service research community. By collaborating with service researchers, with service research centers, with universities, with nonprofit agencies and with foundations, ServCollab will build research capacity to address large-scale human service system problems. ServCollab takes a broad perspective for serving humanity by focusing on the HX. Current business research focuses on the interactive roles of customer experience and employee experience. From the perspective of HX, such role labels are insufficient concepts for the full spectrum of human life.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

This paper originated at the QUIS Conference hosted by Karlstad University in Karlstad, Sweden, June 10-13, 2019. The authors thank the QUIS conference organizers, the conference participants, Anders Gustafsson and Per Kristensson - Guest Editors of the QUIS Special Issue, and all ServCollab research project participants.

Citation

Fisk, R.P., Alkire (née Nasr), L., Anderson, L., Bowen, D.E., Gruber, T., Ostrom, A.L. and Patrício, L. (2020), "Elevating the human experience (HX) through service research collaborations: introducing ServCollab", Journal of Service Management, Vol. 31 No. 4, pp. 615-635. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOSM-10-2019-0325

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited

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