---
_id: '65476'
abstract:
- lang: eng
  text: Service research has evolved into an interdisciplinary research field that
    bridges diverse disciplines, including information systems (IS) and marketing.
    Nearly two decades ago, the service system concept was introduced as a foundational
    abstraction in service research, drawing on ideas from the service-dominant logic
    (S-D logic) of marketing. Despite its widespread adoption in service research,
    particularly in the IS discipline, the service system concept lacks a solid theoretical
    foundation. This has resulted in conceptual ambiguity and overlap with related
    constructs, such as service ecosystems. Moreover, it has largely remained a static
    analytical lens, insufficiently capturing dynamic service phenomena, including
    value co-creation and co-destruction, as well as the emergence of institutional
    arrangements. To address these limitations, we propose Luhmann’s systems theory
    (LST) as a robust framework for conceptualizing service systems as autopoietic
    (self-creating) systems, in which communication serves as the fundamental mechanism
    that drives value co-creation. We derive five theoretical propositions from this
    re-conceptualization that clarify conceptual ambiguity and allow researchers to
    explore dynamic service phenomena in greater depth. Given LST’s general approach,
    our conceptualization provides a theoretically grounded, interdisciplinary foundation
    for advancing service research.
article_number: '37'
article_type: original
author:
- first_name: Daniel
  full_name: Beverungen, Daniel
  last_name: Beverungen
- first_name: Jens
  full_name: Poeppelbuss, Jens
  last_name: Poeppelbuss
- first_name: Simon
  full_name: Hemmrich, Simon
  last_name: Hemmrich
- first_name: Taskeen
  full_name: Iqbal, Taskeen
  last_name: Iqbal
citation:
  ama: Beverungen D, Poeppelbuss J, Hemmrich S, Iqbal T. Service through communication—Conceptualizing
    service systems with Luhmann’s systems theory. <i>Electronic Markets</i>. 2026;36(1).
    doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s12525-026-00889-w">10.1007/s12525-026-00889-w</a>
  apa: Beverungen, D., Poeppelbuss, J., Hemmrich, S., &#38; Iqbal, T. (2026). Service
    through communication—Conceptualizing service systems with Luhmann’s systems theory.
    <i>Electronic Markets</i>, <i>36</i>(1), Article 37. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s12525-026-00889-w">https://doi.org/10.1007/s12525-026-00889-w</a>
  bibtex: '@article{Beverungen_Poeppelbuss_Hemmrich_Iqbal_2026, title={Service through
    communication—Conceptualizing service systems with Luhmann’s systems theory},
    volume={36}, DOI={<a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s12525-026-00889-w">10.1007/s12525-026-00889-w</a>},
    number={137}, journal={Electronic Markets}, publisher={Springer Science and Business
    Media LLC}, author={Beverungen, Daniel and Poeppelbuss, Jens and Hemmrich, Simon
    and Iqbal, Taskeen}, year={2026} }'
  chicago: Beverungen, Daniel, Jens Poeppelbuss, Simon Hemmrich, and Taskeen Iqbal.
    “Service through Communication—Conceptualizing Service Systems with Luhmann’s
    Systems Theory.” <i>Electronic Markets</i> 36, no. 1 (2026). <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s12525-026-00889-w">https://doi.org/10.1007/s12525-026-00889-w</a>.
  ieee: 'D. Beverungen, J. Poeppelbuss, S. Hemmrich, and T. Iqbal, “Service through
    communication—Conceptualizing service systems with Luhmann’s systems theory,”
    <i>Electronic Markets</i>, vol. 36, no. 1, Art. no. 37, 2026, doi: <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s12525-026-00889-w">10.1007/s12525-026-00889-w</a>.'
  mla: Beverungen, Daniel, et al. “Service through Communication—Conceptualizing Service
    Systems with Luhmann’s Systems Theory.” <i>Electronic Markets</i>, vol. 36, no.
    1, 37, Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2026, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s12525-026-00889-w">10.1007/s12525-026-00889-w</a>.
  short: D. Beverungen, J. Poeppelbuss, S. Hemmrich, T. Iqbal, Electronic Markets
    36 (2026).
date_created: 2026-04-21T13:13:02Z
date_updated: 2026-04-21T13:18:35Z
ddc:
- '380'
department:
- _id: '195'
- _id: '534'
doi: 10.1007/s12525-026-00889-w
file:
- access_level: closed
  content_type: application/pdf
  creator: dabe
  date_created: 2026-04-21T13:14:30Z
  date_updated: 2026-04-21T13:14:30Z
  file_id: '65477'
  file_name: Service is Communication - EM Paper.pdf
  file_size: 2793039
  relation: main_file
  success: 1
file_date_updated: 2026-04-21T13:14:30Z
has_accepted_license: '1'
intvolume: '        36'
issue: '1'
jel:
- L80
keyword:
- Service system
- Service ecosystem
- Systems theory
- Service research
language:
- iso: eng
main_file_link:
- open_access: '1'
  url: https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s12525-026-00889-w.pdf
oa: '1'
project:
- _id: '1250'
  name: 'SHAPE : Gestaltung von Dienstleistungsentwicklungsprozessen und lnnovationspartnerschaften
    mit Unternehmen'
publication: Electronic Markets
publication_identifier:
  issn:
  - 1019-6781
  - 1422-8890
publication_status: published
publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
quality_controlled: '1'
status: public
title: Service through communication—Conceptualizing service systems with Luhmann’s
  systems theory
type: journal_article
user_id: '59677'
volume: 36
year: '2026'
...