Unlocking the Full Potential of Transformative Service Research by Co-Creating Value

Abstract

Research aiming to transform services requires the disruption of power dynamics to ensure that service users are fully embedded in decision-making and disparities are not reproduced. This article presents a systematic review of how service users have been included in the co-creation of Transformative Service Research (TSR) in published articles. Despite consensus over the scope for value co-creation to improve wellbeing, our analysis reveals that user collaboration does not feature in most TSR papers, and even when it is reported, it has rarely been embedded extensively across all stages of the process, thus missing the potential for greater value co-creation. We contribute to the existing literature in two important ways. Firstly, by highlighting how this imbalance provides the opportunity for the reflexive application of TSR knowledge within the research process, drawing on the relationship between ethics-based and impact-based motivations for co-creating value. Secondly, we add to literature calling for deeper reflection on how TSR should be approached by proposing five working principles for TSR practice. These principles provide a guide to assess ethical engagement with disempowered groups and embed service users in the research of critically important fields such as healthcare, finance, and social services.