[{"publication":"Electronic Markets","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."}],"file":[{"access_level":"closed","file_name":"Service is Communication - EM Paper.pdf","file_id":"65477","file_size":2793039,"date_created":"2026-04-21T13:14:30Z","creator":"dabe","date_updated":"2026-04-21T13:14:30Z","relation":"main_file","success":1,"content_type":"application/pdf"}],"keyword":["Service system","Service ecosystem","Systems theory","Service research"],"ddc":["380"],"language":[{"iso":"eng"}],"quality_controlled":"1","issue":"1","year":"2026","publisher":"Springer Science and Business Media LLC","date_created":"2026-04-21T13:13:02Z","title":"Service through communication—Conceptualizing service systems with Luhmann’s systems theory","type":"journal_article","status":"public","_id":"65476","project":[{"_id":"1250","name":"SHAPE : Gestaltung von Dienstleistungsentwicklungsprozessen und lnnovationspartnerschaften mit Unternehmen"}],"department":[{"_id":"195"},{"_id":"534"}],"user_id":"59677","article_type":"original","article_number":"37","file_date_updated":"2026-04-21T13:14:30Z","has_accepted_license":"1","publication_identifier":{"issn":["1019-6781","1422-8890"]},"publication_status":"published","intvolume":"        36","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>","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>.","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>.","short":"D. Beverungen, J. Poeppelbuss, S. Hemmrich, T. Iqbal, Electronic Markets 36 (2026).","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} }","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>.","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>"},"jel":["L80"],"oa":"1","date_updated":"2026-04-21T13:18:35Z","volume":36,"author":[{"last_name":"Beverungen","full_name":"Beverungen, Daniel","first_name":"Daniel"},{"last_name":"Poeppelbuss","full_name":"Poeppelbuss, Jens","first_name":"Jens"},{"full_name":"Hemmrich, Simon","last_name":"Hemmrich","first_name":"Simon"},{"first_name":"Taskeen","full_name":"Iqbal, Taskeen","last_name":"Iqbal"}],"doi":"10.1007/s12525-026-00889-w","main_file_link":[{"url":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s12525-026-00889-w.pdf","open_access":"1"}]},{"article_type":"original","article_number":"27","file_date_updated":"2025-04-04T06:19:38Z","project":[{"_id":"1250","name":"SHAPE : Gestaltung von Dienstleistungsentwicklungsprozessen und lnnovationspartnerschaften mit Unternehmen"}],"_id":"59335","user_id":"59677","department":[{"_id":"195"}],"status":"public","type":"journal_article","doi":"10.1007/s12525-025-00771-1","date_updated":"2025-11-10T10:19:25Z","author":[{"first_name":"Tilo","last_name":"Böhmann","full_name":"Böhmann, Tilo"},{"first_name":"Angela","last_name":"Roth","full_name":"Roth, Angela"},{"first_name":"Gerhard","last_name":"Satzger","full_name":"Satzger, Gerhard"},{"first_name":"Carina","last_name":"Benz","full_name":"Benz, Carina"},{"first_name":"Daniel","full_name":"Beverungen, Daniel","last_name":"Beverungen"},{"first_name":"Andreas","full_name":"Boes, Andreas","last_name":"Boes"},{"last_name":"Breidbach","full_name":"Breidbach, Christoph","first_name":"Christoph"},{"last_name":"Gersch","full_name":"Gersch, Martin","first_name":"Martin"},{"first_name":"Gerhard","full_name":"Gudergan, Gerhard","last_name":"Gudergan"},{"first_name":"Jens","full_name":"Hogreve, Jens","last_name":"Hogreve"},{"first_name":"Christian","last_name":"Kurtz","full_name":"Kurtz, Christian"},{"first_name":"Barbara","last_name":"Langes","full_name":"Langes, Barbara"},{"first_name":"Jan Marco","full_name":"Leimeister, Jan Marco","last_name":"Leimeister"},{"first_name":"Tom","last_name":"Lewandowski","full_name":"Lewandowski, Tom"},{"first_name":"Thomas","last_name":"Meiren","full_name":"Meiren, Thomas"},{"first_name":"Rainer","last_name":"Nägele","full_name":"Nägele, Rainer"},{"last_name":"Paluch","full_name":"Paluch, Stefanie","first_name":"Stefanie"},{"first_name":"Christoph","last_name":"Peters","full_name":"Peters, Christoph"},{"first_name":"Jens","full_name":"Poeppelbuss, Jens","last_name":"Poeppelbuss"},{"last_name":"Robra-Bissantz","full_name":"Robra-Bissantz, Susanne","first_name":"Susanne"},{"first_name":"Carsten","last_name":"Schultz","full_name":"Schultz, Carsten"},{"first_name":"Jan H.","full_name":"Schumann, Jan H.","last_name":"Schumann"},{"first_name":"Jochen","last_name":"Wirtz","full_name":"Wirtz, Jochen"},{"first_name":"Nancy V.","full_name":"Wünderlich, Nancy V.","last_name":"Wünderlich"}],"volume":35,"jel":["M10"],"citation":{"ieee":"T. Böhmann <i>et al.</i>, “Continuous value shaping: A boundary concept for innovating service innovation approaches,” <i>Electronic Markets</i>, vol. 35, no. 1, Art. no. 27, 2025, doi: <a href=\"https://doi.org/10.1007/s12525-025-00771-1\">10.1007/s12525-025-00771-1</a>.","chicago":"Böhmann, Tilo, Angela Roth, Gerhard Satzger, Carina Benz, Daniel Beverungen, Andreas Boes, Christoph Breidbach, et al. “Continuous Value Shaping: A Boundary Concept for Innovating Service Innovation Approaches.” <i>Electronic Markets</i> 35, no. 1 (2025). <a href=\"https://doi.org/10.1007/s12525-025-00771-1\">https://doi.org/10.1007/s12525-025-00771-1</a>.","ama":"Böhmann T, Roth A, Satzger G, et al. Continuous value shaping: A boundary concept for innovating service innovation approaches. <i>Electronic Markets</i>. 2025;35(1). doi:<a href=\"https://doi.org/10.1007/s12525-025-00771-1\">10.1007/s12525-025-00771-1</a>","apa":"Böhmann, T., Roth, A., Satzger, G., Benz, C., Beverungen, D., Boes, A., Breidbach, C., Gersch, M., Gudergan, G., Hogreve, J., Kurtz, C., Langes, B., Leimeister, J. M., Lewandowski, T., Meiren, T., Nägele, R., Paluch, S., Peters, C., Poeppelbuss, J., … Wünderlich, N. V. (2025). Continuous value shaping: A boundary concept for innovating service innovation approaches. <i>Electronic Markets</i>, <i>35</i>(1), Article 27. <a href=\"https://doi.org/10.1007/s12525-025-00771-1\">https://doi.org/10.1007/s12525-025-00771-1</a>","bibtex":"@article{Böhmann_Roth_Satzger_Benz_Beverungen_Boes_Breidbach_Gersch_Gudergan_Hogreve_et al._2025, title={Continuous value shaping: A boundary concept for innovating service innovation approaches}, volume={35}, DOI={<a href=\"https://doi.org/10.1007/s12525-025-00771-1\">10.1007/s12525-025-00771-1</a>}, number={127}, journal={Electronic Markets}, publisher={Springer Science and Business Media LLC}, author={Böhmann, Tilo and Roth, Angela and Satzger, Gerhard and Benz, Carina and Beverungen, Daniel and Boes, Andreas and Breidbach, Christoph and Gersch, Martin and Gudergan, Gerhard and Hogreve, Jens and et al.}, year={2025} }","short":"T. Böhmann, A. Roth, G. Satzger, C. Benz, D. Beverungen, A. Boes, C. Breidbach, M. Gersch, G. Gudergan, J. Hogreve, C. Kurtz, B. Langes, J.M. Leimeister, T. Lewandowski, T. Meiren, R. Nägele, S. Paluch, C. Peters, J. Poeppelbuss, S. Robra-Bissantz, C. Schultz, J.H. Schumann, J. Wirtz, N.V. Wünderlich, Electronic Markets 35 (2025).","mla":"Böhmann, Tilo, et al. “Continuous Value Shaping: A Boundary Concept for Innovating Service Innovation Approaches.” <i>Electronic Markets</i>, vol. 35, no. 1, 27, Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2025, doi:<a href=\"https://doi.org/10.1007/s12525-025-00771-1\">10.1007/s12525-025-00771-1</a>."},"intvolume":"        35","publication_status":"published","publication_identifier":{"issn":["1019-6781","1422-8890"]},"has_accepted_license":"1","ddc":["380"],"keyword":["Continuous value shaping (CVS)","Service research","Service innovation","Digitalization","Sustainability","Interdisciplinary research"],"language":[{"iso":"eng"}],"external_id":{"unknown":["https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12525-025-00771-1"]},"abstract":[{"lang":"eng","text":"Technological advancements and evolving value orientations reshape future value creation and pose new requirements for service innovation. While a variety of disciplines are developing new approaches to drive service innovation, this is primarily done in isolation and generates only fragmented solutions. Sociological theory has proposed “boundary objects” as an effective umbrella for communication and cooperation among communities. Therefore, we introduce continuous value shaping (CVS) as a boundary object describing service innovation approaches along five principles. We reflect on this concept through the different disciplinary lenses of researchers in service marketing, information systems, service engineering, sociology of work, and innovation management. These perspectives highlight how the CVS principles already connect to discourses within the individual disciplines. However, the CVS concept will not only provide an umbrella to embrace existing activities in different academic disciplines. It also assists to identify research themes that will benefit from uniting the power of these disciplines, and it can serve as an integrating framework to conceptualize complex service innovation approaches. Thus, the CVS concept should guide both researchers and practitioners to develop and implement novel innovation and transformation efforts—in and across organizations."}],"file":[{"success":1,"relation":"main_file","content_type":"application/pdf","file_size":920032,"file_name":"Continuous Value Shaping - EM.pdf","file_id":"59336","access_level":"closed","date_updated":"2025-04-04T06:19:38Z","creator":"dabe","date_created":"2025-04-04T06:19:38Z"}],"publication":"Electronic Markets","title":"Continuous value shaping: A boundary concept for innovating service innovation approaches","publisher":"Springer Science and Business Media LLC","date_created":"2025-04-04T06:10:26Z","year":"2025","quality_controlled":"1","issue":"1"}]