Co-Creation of Value in Service Ecosystems

Co-creation of value in service ecosystems represents a shift from traditional goods-centred exchange towards a dynamic, networked configuration of actors collaboratively integrating resources. In this perspective, value emerges through interactive processes where firms, customers, partners and institutions engage continuously to design, deliver and refine services. Service-dominant logic underpins this view, proposing that service—the application of specialised competences for the benefit of another—is the fundamental basis of exchange. Actors mobilise both operand resources (tangible assets) and operant resources (knowledge, skills and capabilities) to enable reciprocal value creation. Institutional frameworks of norms, rules and beliefs shape these interactions, guiding how resources are exchanged and outcomes are realised. Value co-creation unfolds across micro, meso and macro levels: at the micro level in dyadic interactions between provider and consumer; at the meso level in organisational networks; and at the macro level in broad ecosystems encompassing policy, technology infrastructures and social institutions. This approach emphasises emergence, recognising that outcomes are often unpredictable and collectively shaped by actors’ adaptive behaviours. Applications range from retail platforms that harness customer data for personalised experiences to digital health ecosystems empowering patients in chronic-care management. Globally, co-creation strategies enhance resilience, foster sustainable innovation and align diverse stakeholder objectives, thereby offering a powerful lens for addressing complex socio-economic challenges.

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Co-Creation of Value in Service Ecosystems publication trend

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Technical terms

Service ecosystem: A dynamic configuration of multiple actors integrating resources through value-generating interactions within institutional and technological landscapes.

Value co-creation: A collaborative process where two or more actors combine and apply resources to generate mutual benefit through service interactions.

Service-dominant logic (S-D logic): A theoretical orientation positing that service is the primary basis of exchange and value arises through resource integration among networked actors.

Resource integration: The process by which actors mobilise and combine operand and operant resources to enable and enhance service provision and value creation.

Institutional arrangements: The formal and informal norms, rules and shared beliefs that govern actor interactions and resource exchanges in ecosystems.

References

1. Designing an information technology-enabled framework in the retail service ecosystem. Technological Forecasting and Social Change (2025).
2. Sustainable Value Co-Creation and Digital Health: The Case of Trentino eHealth Ecosystem. Sustainability (2020).
3. Value co-creation processes in the context of circular entrepreneurship: A quantitative study on born circular firms. Journal of Cleaner Production (2023).
4. Emergence in marketing: an institutional and ecosystem framework. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science (2022).
5. Service Ecosystem Design: Propositions, Process Model, and Future Research Agenda. Journal of Service Research (2020).