Transformative Service Research Research Articles

Transformative Service Research and impact of indoor environmental quality on workers’ productivity: Potentialities of neuroscience in its assessment

Previous research demonstrated that there is a link between workers’ productivity and their overall comfort in the workspaces. Nowadays, the energy crisis is highlighting the need for energy saving measures also in workplaces to reduce expenses, thus posing threats to the overall comfort of workers: how to deal with this trade-off? In such a frame, this paper is a traditional literature review of the research, conducted so far, useful to understand the optimal point of energy needed to secure human wellbeing in workspaces (and thus, acceptable productivity). Moving from an overview of the most common adopted methodologies and related findings, this work focuses on applications and opportunities associated with merging methods from neuroscience. Neuroeconomics, in fact, uses some indexes (cognitive interests, mental fatigue) and techniques (EEG, heart rate) that allow to understand whether a person is focused on his/her work or not: this can represent a double-check of the optimal level of environmental comfort in offices. Environmental comfort studies concerning the adoption of physiological monitoring are compared here to business management studies lying on physiological indexes to assess employees’ interest and cognitive effort, which influence their productivity. This comparison showed up new perspectives in the investigation of occupants’ productivity and environmental comfort, which can be pursued in the coming years to understand how to achieve the optimum between energy consumption and workers’ productivity.

Well-being creation by senior volunteers in a service provider context

PurposeGiven the importance of senior volunteers in an ageing society, this study aims to deepen the understanding of how seniors create well-being by volunteering as service providers in terms of motivations for volunteer participation and value co-creation/co-destruction in service provision.Design/methodology/approachFocussing on senior volunteers acting as service providers in the tourism sector, this study conducted a programme of qualitative research with 15 senior volunteer tour guides in Japan and the UK through the purposive sampling method. The data were analysed by the Gioia method to identify data structure and create a conceptual model.FindingsSeniors start with a mixture of different motivations, not only symbolic and health ones. However, after a certain period of training, they become more aware of their volunteer role as service providers and may strive to maximise the benefits to their clients. The overall performance of such a role supports their well-being. They may also experience episodes of value co-destruction; such negative experiences may be overcome by building good relationships with their colleagues in the organisation.Practical implicationsThe paper identifies organisational support ideas for senior service provider volunteers aimed at overcoming negative experiences and achieving well-being, in terms of training and improved communication between organisation members.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the transformative service research literature by constructing a model to showcase the relationship amongst expectations of volunteering as a service provider, service delivery and well-being creation. This paper also discusses the positive and negative effects of volunteer service delivery on senior volunteers' well-being.

Digital financial services usage and subjective financial well-being: evidence from low-income households in Malaysia

PurposeThe first objective of this study is to analyze whether financial behavior (FB), financial stress (FS), financial literacy (FINLIT) and the locus of control (LOC) influence subjective financial well-being (SFWB) among low-income households in Malaysia. The second objective is to investigate whether the use of digital financial services (DFS) moderates the influence of FB and FS, on SFWB.Design/methodology/approachMotivated by the literature on transformative service research (TRS), this study examines how the use of DFS impact SFWB among low-income households in Malaysia. Low-income households are chosen as they are more likely to be financially excluded and lack financial knowledge and skills. Using an interviewer-administered survey, trained enumerators collected data from 1,948 low-income households in Malaysia, selected using a two-stage sampling based on the National Household Sampling Frame obtained from the Department of Statistics Malaysia.FindingsResults reveal that SFWB is positively influenced by FB and the LOC, and is negatively impacted by FS and FINLIT. The evidence shows that the use of DFS counterintuitively weakened the strength of the relationship between FB and SFWB, but effectively reduced the adverse effect of FS on SFWB.Practical implicationsTo reverse the signs of relationship, financial services marketers need to identify the specific types of DFS that low-income households use in order to provide targeted marketing efforts and financial education to promote the use of DFS on a more holistic basis to increase financial well-being.Originality/valueThe findings of this study add to the body of knowledge deliberating on the opposing effects of technology on consumers' welfare and well-being. This study focuses on the lower-income stratum of Malaysian households as this group of the population is more likely to be financially excluded and have deficiencies in financial knowledge and skills. Findings of this study show that DFS use can actually diminish the positive impact of FB on SFWB while reducing the adverse effect of FS on SFWB.

Consolidating strategies for innovative business models

To help face an unknown future, including ecological and social crisis, the public requires similar opportunities as government in problem solving. Deliberative democracy can facilitate quick responses to complex problems in society, so too, in small and medium-sized enterprises with limited resources. Of the latter’s engagement with deliberative democracy, we know too little. Service design and innovation lays a foundation for transformative service research. This action research brings the theoretical framework of service design into action using the practice of World Café first outlined by Juanita Brown. As a method, participants and organizations can explore various innovation business model topics whilst developing competencies in communication within their own context. The aims of this paper are to identify what can be accomplished through collective consciousness. It offers an example of action research as an integrative examination of how multiple perspectives contribute to the whole. In this study, the authors based in a Non-Governmental Organization for professional development, encourages organizations to reflect on practices and develop critical thinking to suggest action steps for industry innovative services. In the following the reader will: (a) Explore Taiwan SMEs’ efforts to form collective consciousness and to achieve consensus on the innovation industry strategy formulation; (b) Learn how groups’ and organizations’ learning was facilitated with recommendations for the feasibility of future actions; (c) Note how effective group discussion and emotional interaction between SMEs’ members were achieved such that the participants unanimously committed to subsequent actions. In sum, the action research orientation to business development contributed to achieving through collective consciousness by which consensus and action was developed on strategy, opportunities, and resources.

Eudemonic Servicescapes: Value Co-Creation in Karate Dojos

Martial arts (“budo”) is a service system in which instructors and students co-create physical and mental values through training encounters in a physical servicescape—the dojo. We explored how actors develop eudemonic wellbeing in this servicescape. We selected the dynamics theory of perception of servicescapes as the theoretical framework to examine the process of behavior change based on the interaction between participants and the environment. We also employed service-dominant logic (SDL), which views services as a value co-creation process among actors, and we also employed transformative service research (TSR), which explores uplifting change to improve wellbeing. We collected data from the World Seido Karate Organization Seido-juku, which has been active worldwide for more than 40 years. We conducted interviews with 17 members and analyzed the secondary data. The results indicated that (1) the participants integrated the value co-creation learned through the training at the servicescape as a model for daily life, and (2) the servicescape created positive mental change in the participants and promoted their personal growth. Martial arts training in a dojo can enable participants to independently create a state of wellbeing at any time. It supports sustainable personal growth, and the dojo is perceived as a eudemonic servicescape.

Transformative service research methodologies for vulnerable participants

Understanding vulnerable consumers when conducting Transformative Service Research (TSR) is essential but these consumers and their contexts are often complex and difficult to research. Despite a movement towards TSR methodologies suitable for studying vulnerable participants and their contexts, a comprehensive framework that can guide service researchers is lacking. The purpose of this paper is to investigate appropriate methods, procedures, and protocols that permit researching a wide range of vulnerable groups and exposures to vulnerable situations in TSR. This is undertaken via a review of the literature and the authors’ reflections of their experiences with researching vulnerability in various configurations (e.g., disasters, refugees, healthcare, disability, and older people). Through an iterative process of personal case reflections and group discussions blended with extant literature, patterns and insights regarding appropriate research protocols, techniques, processes, and sampling are identified. These insights contribute to the development of a comprehensive TSR framework in five research method areas including 1) consideration of the context, researcher, support persons and participants, 2) recruitment considerations relating to sampling, 3) recruitment considerations in terms of ethics and set-up, 4) data collection considerations relating to research protocol and set-up, and 5) data collection considerations. The framework can guide both academics and practitioners to enhance research outcomes for both participants and researchers.

Social connectedness and well-being of elderly customers: Do employee-to-customer interactions matter?

ABSTRACT While a plethora of research examines the antecedents and outcomes of favorable employee-to-customer interaction in the hospitality industry, little empirical investigation has been conducted so far to understand the effect of employee-to-customer interaction on customers’ social well-being. This omission is particularly intriguing in the context of elderly care homes whereby employee-to-customer interaction is both intense and crucial. Building on a transformative service research perspective, the present study draws on a mixed-methods approach using a sequential quantitative-qualitative design to understand the interface between favorable employee-to-customer interaction, social connectedness, and social well-being. Using data from 267 elderly individuals in care homes combined with data from three focus groups in China, the study confirms the role of favorable employee-to-customer interaction in enhancing the social connectedness of elderly customers. Both employee-to-customer interaction and social connectedness are also found to positively influence elderly customers’ social well-being. Findings from the qualitative study lend support to the proposed theoretical model and further demonstrate how elderly consumers’ social well-being is impacted in a transformative way by favorable interactions with employees. Qualitative findings show how both employees and elderly customers deploy different resources to pursue transformative outcomes of value exchange and value co-creation. The study advances transformative service research and suggests implications for policy and managers in elderly care homes and the wider hospitality industry.

Robotic technologies and well-being for older adults living at home

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate the benefits for aged care providers of adding affordable robotic technology to their services packages to enhance the well-being of older adults from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds who choose to live at home.Design/methodology/approachThis study, adopting a transformative service research lens, was performed with a group of older Australian adults from CALD backgrounds aged approximately 70 years. This study conducted four rounds of home trials with three different, commercially available robotic technologies from January to November 2020. Each trial lasted seven days.FindingsThe findings reveal that older adults from CALD backgrounds are open to learning about new technologies and can successfully interact independently with multiple robotic technologies in their own homes. The results indicate that robot technology has the potential to increase the well-being of older people by enhancing a sense of belonging, independence and quality of life while living at home.Research limitations/implicationsThis study shows a promising future involving the use of available technology to assist older people from CALD backgrounds to live better lives at home. Ageing at home can be central to a person’s sense of identity and independence, and this study is a big step towards a new aged care system desperately needed in a society with a rapidly ageing population.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is among the first to introduce three different commercially available robots, each designed to satisfy companionship, cleaning and/or communication needs in the homes of older adults from CALD backgrounds to increase their overall well-being.

Frontline employee expectations on working with physical robots in retailing

PurposeService robots have increasingly been utilized in retail settings, yet empirical research on how frontline employees (FLEs) might deal with this new reality remains scarce. This mixed-methods study aims to examine how FLEs expect physical service robots to impact job characteristics and affect their job engagement and well-being.Design/methodology/approachFirst, explorative interviews (Study 1; N = 32) were conducted to investigate how FLEs currently experience job characteristics and how they believe robots might impact these job characteristics and job outcomes. Next, a survey (Study 2; N = 165) examined the relationship between job characteristics that retail FLEs expect to be impacted by robots and their own well-being and job engagement.FindingsWhile the overall expectations for working with robots are mixed, retail FLEs expect that working with robots can alleviate certain job demands, but robots cannot help to replenish their job resources. On the contrary, most retail FLEs expect the pains and gains associated with robots in the workspace to cancel each other out, leaving their job engagement and well-being unaffected. However, of the FLEs that do anticipate that robots might have some impact on their well-being and job engagement, the majority expect negative effects.Originality/valueThis study is unique in addressing the trade-off between expected benefits and costs inherent to job demands-resources (JD-R) theory while incorporating a transformative service research (TSR) lens. By integrating different streams of research to study retail FLEs' expectations about working with robots and focusing on robots' impact on job engagement and well-being, this study offers new insights for theory and practice.

Marketing inclusive banking services to financially vulnerable consumers: a service design approach

PurposeTo explore how inclusive banking services are marketed to financially vulnerable consumers (FVCs) in Ghana from the perspective of managers. This study aims to explore this under-researched area and contribute towards a transformative service research in the country.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopted a multiple case study research approach to analyse six banks, including commercial, development, investment and rural and community banks. Specifically, semi-structured interviews and archival documents were used to collect data from the perspectives of bank managers.FindingsThe empirical research based on practical and theoretical models shows that Ghanaian banks design an array of financial products and services (FPS), adopt innovative traditional marketing strategies and apply inclusive technologies to reach out to the FVCs.Research limitations/implicationsThe authors conducted this study on six banks in Ghana; thus, service researchers are cautioned when generalising the findings and conclusions in other contexts beyond the country of focus.Practical implicationsThis study offers practical ideas to guide marketers to better understand how banks market their inclusive banking services to FVCs.Social implicationsThis paper provides implications for addressing financial inclusion amongst the “unbanked”, “underserved” and “unserved” collectively known as the FVCs and how Ghanaian banks design FPS to improve service research and well-being outcomes.Originality/valueThis study provides vital information to policymakers in designing FPS aimed at achieving an inclusive financial system to improve the well-being of FVCs in Ghana.

Seeking thrills during a crisis? A TSR and hierarchy of effects perspective of the transformative potential of travel

PurposeThis study aims to theorise and empirically test a model based on the hierarchy of effects behavioural learning approach (“do-think-feel”) to explain how travel during a crisis assists consumer well-being. The paper also examines whether the effect travel has on well-being is serially mediated by perceived risk and resilience and moderated by the personality trait of sensation-seeking.Design/methodology/approachThis research uses a quasi-experimental design involving Australian consumers based on a sample of n = 307 who had travelled and n = 277 who had not during the COVID-19 pandemic (N = 584). A replication study (N = 290) is also undertaken to assess the robustness of the hierarchy of effects uncovered in the main study. Data were analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM) and Hayes PROCESS macro.FindingsThe results reveal travellers have significantly higher levels of both hedonic and eudaimonic well-being than non-travellers, suggesting the transformative potential of travel experiences during a crisis. The transformative potential of travel is driven by perceived risk and psychological resilience, which mediate the relationship between travel frequency and well-being. Further, spotlight moderation analysis demonstrates that the effect of travel on well-being is most profound for those with lower levels of sensation-seeking. These relationships are also confirmed in the replication study.Originality/valueThis research is among the first in transformative service research (TSR) to test the mediators of perceived risk and resilience together in a singular study, showing how experiences such as travel are potentially transformative. It also evaluates personality traits such as sensation-seeking as a moderating factor, which is uncommon in TSR. Further, this study empirically validates a do–think–feel behavioural learning approach, as opposed to other hierarchy of effects sequences that are dominant in TSR and the wider services marketing literature.

Enhancing users' well-being in virtual medical tourism communities: A configurational analysis of users’ interaction characteristics and social support

Virtual medical tourism communities (V-MTCs) have emerged as important information sources and social platforms for medical tourists. Drawing on value co-creation literature and complexity theory, this study examines the effects of users’ online interaction characteristics and social support on their well-being from a configurational perspective, aiming to identify different well-being trigger patterns among users of V-MTCs in China. A fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) was conducted, incorporating seven interactional configurations involving communication style (task and relationship orientation), social support (emotional, informational, and network support), and citizenship behavior. The findings indicate three categories of configurations that lead to a high sense of well-being, dominated by social support, task orientation, and citizenship behavior. The article discusses the theoretical logic of each configuration and enriches the value co-creation literature and technology-enabled transformative service research by providing new insights into the causal patterns of well-being in V-MTCs. The findings also have practical implications for V-MTC management.

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

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.

Robotic Technologies and Well-being for Older Adults Living at Home

The purpose of this study is to investigate the benefits for aged care providers to add affordable robotic technology in their services packages to enhance the well-being of older adults from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds who choose to live at home. This study, adopting a Transformative service research lens, was performed with a group of Australian older adults from CALD backgrounds aged on average 70 years old. In total, the study conducted four rounds of home trials with three different, commercially available robotic technologies from January to November 2020, each trial lasted seven days. The findings reveal that older adults from CALD backgrounds are open to learning about new technologies and can successfully interact independently with multiple robotic technologies in their own homes. Further, our results indicate that robot technology has the potential to increase the well-being of these older people. The results show that technology can enhance a sense of belonging, independence, and quality of life while living at home. Research limitations/implications - This study shows a promising future involving the use of available technology to assist older people from CALD backgrounds to lead a better life at home. Aging at home can be central to a person’s sense of identity and independence; this study is a big step towards a new aged care system that is sorely needed in a society that experiences a rapidly aging population.

A transformative and social marketing ecosystem investigation into drug use among young adults

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the underresearched transformative service research (TSR) and social marketing segment of young adults who use drugs and identify motivators that have been studied in previous literature, using a service ecosystem lens and provide direction for future research into this area. This research provides the evidence-based knowledge for transformative service and social marketing practitioners to design transformative services that target these motivators.Design/methodology/approachThis systematic review, guided by the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis framework, examines and analyses 207 articles published between 2015 and 2020.FindingsThis study identified that young adults are motivated to take drugs to enhance one’s experience, to cope, for social reasons, because of individual characteristics and for other reasons. Research has largely focused on microsystem and mesosystem motivators with data collected mainly using a microsystem approach.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the TSR and social marketing literature by providing a holistic investigation into all motivators relevant to young adult drug use. An ecosystem classification and theoretical framework of the motivators is curated to help guide future TSR and social marketing research and interventions.

Taming complex problems using the problem‐solution‐impact research process model

AbstractThe transformative consumer research (TCR) and transformative service research (TSR) movements seek to encourage, support, and publicize research benefiting consumer welfare. In this article, we introduce design thinking (DT) as a rigorous, effective, and creative problem‐solving process well‐suited to tackle the multi‐dimensional problems TCR/TSR researchers address. A scoping review of TCR/TSR and DT literatures examining complex issues, such as health and well‐being, inequality, and sustainability, reveals each orientation's theoretical and methodological strengths as well as its opportunities to more effectively catalyze positive change. Specifically, DT would benefit from the rigorous theoretical perspective brought by TCR/TSR researchers. In turn, transformative consumer and service researchers can find inspiration in the participatory ideation and prototyping techniques central to DT. The problem‐solution‐impact (PSI) research process model for transformative change draws from the strengths of the two traditions to creates a rigorous and relevant approach to addressing the world's most complex and dynamic problems.

Service inclusion for tourists with disabilities: scale development and validation

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to develop a scale for measuring service inclusion for tourists with disabilities in tourism and hospitality services. Transformative service research serves as the basis for the conceptualization and dimensionality.Design/methodology/approachTo develop and purify the items as well as develop dimensions, standard scale development procedures were applied. Two studies were undertaken. In Study 1, the factorial structure of the service inclusion was constructed and confirmed using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. In Study 2, the field study was conducted to validate the scale.FindingsThe study developed a new scale for measuring service inclusion. The results show that service inclusion is a higher-order construct with four dimensions, namely, enabling opportunity, offering choice, relieving suffering and fostering happiness. Furthermore, service inclusion has a significant effect on tourists’ well-being perception, which results in more favorable behavioral responses. The newly constructed scale is declared as valid and reliable by the study that examined it for nomological validity by examining the relationship between service inclusion and tourists’ perceptions of their well-being.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to develop measurement scale for service inclusion in the tourism and hospitality industry. The scale is proven as reliable and valid and is well suitable for measuring service inclusion for tourists with physical disabilities. It has potential to use for other relevant service contexts.

A transformative service research perspective on caste-based discrimination in microcredit lending in India

PurposeThis research aims to address the transformative service research (TSR) agenda by examining the issue of caste-based financial exclusion in microcredit lending services in India. To do so, it draws on statistical discrimination theory from labour economics to develop and test a multi-level prosocial service orientation framework.Design/methodology/approachSurvey data come from 238 loan officers and 250 lower caste loan applicants across 43 microfinance institutions (MFIs) in India. The data are analysed using hierarchical linear modelling, a method appropriate for investigating micro- and macro-level organisational variables.FindingsAt the micro level, the service orientation factors of social dominance orientation and algorithmic-driven lending decisions affect financial exclusion of lower caste bottom-of-the-pyramid (BoP) vendors. At the macro level, the service orientation mechanism of inclusive service climate reduces caste-based financial exclusion, while the level of lending risk to reduce discrimination receives no support.Research limitations/implicationsResearch in other contexts is warranted to confirm the prosocial service orientation model. Methodological challenges at the BoP also present avenues for insightful work.Social implicationsThe study shows the importance of an inclusive service climate and reassessment of algorithmic-driven lending decisions to eliminate caste-based indicators in lending decisions. It also recommends policy reform of caste-based affirmative action at the macro- and micro-levels of lending decisions.Originality/valueThis research extends the TSR agenda to include caste-based discrimination in prosocial services. It takes a multidisciplinary perspective on services research by incorporating statistical discrimination theory from labour economics to extend understanding of service orientation.

Tourist participation, well-being and satisfaction: the mediating roles of service experience and tourist empowerment

ABSTRACT The purpose of this paper is to empirically examine the role of tourist participation on their well-being and satisfaction. It also contributes to the transformative service research literature by examining the mediated effect of service experience and tourist empowerment on well-being and satisfaction. A structural model was developed and tested using a convenient sample of 597 tourists. Further, structure equation modelling technique and mediation analysis was performed to test the hypotheses. These findings revealed that tourist participation has a positive effect on satisfaction as well as eudaimonic well-being. The results showed that there is partial mediation effect of service experience on satisfaction as well as eudaimonic well-being. Also, tourist empowerment plays a mediating role between tourist participation and service experience. This study highlights the role of tourism firms to adopt a participatory approach wherein the tourist as collaborators can use their knowledge skills and abilities to help in better designing and delivery of tourism services.

Have you found what you are looking for? How values orientations affect pro‐social change after transformative service experiences

AbstractPast research on transformative service experiences suggests that participating individuals may experience positive, as well as (unintended) negative well‐being consequences. Most of this work has examined aspects of the service provider and the service experience as a causal factor, underemphasizing aspects of the participants in such experiences as a determinant. Implementing a longitudinal design in the context of a cross‐country bike trip to benefit multiple sclerosis, the authors investigate how changes in participants' civic attitudes and skills, as well as perceived personal change and connection to the experience, may depend upon the participants' underlying values orientation. Emerging findings indicate that values associated with achievement and growth may lead to undesirable changes in civic attitudes, while values associated with external validation promote positive personal change and enhanced connection to the organization and cause. Implications for transformative service organizations and research limitations are discussed.