A Systematic Literature Review on IT-enabled value Co-creation: Toward an integrative framework

Abstract

Information technology-enabled value co-creation (IT-enabled VCC) has become a central research area. However, a clear understanding of its theoretical foundations and conceptual structure is still lacking. Thus, it is important to clarify the theoretical perspectives and develop an integrative framework for the transdisciplinary and growing domain based on a cumulative body of knowledge. We conduct a systematic literature analysis using a combination of bibliometric analysis, text mining, and content analysis on 451 IT-enabled VCC articles and 1010 VCC articles. Our analyses reveal seven theoretical perspectives (customer experience, S-D logic, service logic, service system, service ecosystem, IT ecosystem, and practice) in IT-enabled VCC research, and the evolution of the theoretical perspectives grounded in four basic principles. Further, an integrative framework of IT-enabled VCC research is developed. The framework consists of four consolidated themes (IT-enabled value co-creation antecedent, IT-enabled value co-creation pattern, IT-enabled customer experience, and IT-enabled value co-creation consequence) and their relationships. In discussing the limitations of these four themes, important and promising research areas and questions are outlined to advance IT-enabled VCC research. These include the dynamic and systematic nature of IT-enabled VCC, its ecosystem-wide antecedents and multilevel impacts, and smart service-based customer experience value.