Three Frameworks for Service Research: Exploring Multilevel Governance in Nested, Networked Systems

Purpose – Three frameworks are used to analyze multilevel governance in complex human systems, such as nations, states, cities, universities, hospitals, hotels, homes, or nested, networked holistic service systems, which provision ―whole service‖ to the people inside them. The three frameworks are: Service Science (SSME+D), Viable Systems Approach (VSA), and Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD). IAD is a mature framework, and its originator shared a 2009 Noble Prize for work on governance of commons. Our purpose is to expand awareness of IAD in the service research community. Methodology/approach – Each framework introduces a focal building block, service systems (SSME+D), viable systems (VSA), and polycentric systems (IAD), which can be compared and contrasted to help enhance analytic and design frameworks for complex human systems. Findings – There are still many areas of knowledge that the service research community needs to incorporate to provide the ―big tent‖ needed to make progress understanding complex business and societal systems, where local optimization rarely leads to global optimization. Practical implications – Service researchers benefit from improved frameworks to analyze/design complex human systems that (1) can integrate across diverse disciplines, systems, cultures, (2) improve multilevel governance making it more likely that local optimizations contribute to global resilience and sustainability, (3) move beyond dyads, be they customer to provider, or even business to business, and analyze nested, networked systems in the wild, as Ostrom has done with IAD. Originality/value – Evert Gummesson inspired us to think about service network theory, and break down silos to connect with frameworks such as Ostrom’s IAD.