[{"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"}],"oa":"1","date_updated":"2026-04-21T13:18:35Z","volume":36,"author":[{"first_name":"Daniel","last_name":"Beverungen","full_name":"Beverungen, Daniel"},{"first_name":"Jens","last_name":"Poeppelbuss","full_name":"Poeppelbuss, Jens"},{"last_name":"Hemmrich","full_name":"Hemmrich, Simon","first_name":"Simon"},{"first_name":"Taskeen","full_name":"Iqbal, Taskeen","last_name":"Iqbal"}],"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>.","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>","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>.","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} }","short":"D. Beverungen, J. Poeppelbuss, S. Hemmrich, T. Iqbal, Electronic Markets 36 (2026)."},"jel":["L80"],"publication_identifier":{"issn":["1019-6781","1422-8890"]},"has_accepted_license":"1","publication_status":"published","article_type":"original","article_number":"37","file_date_updated":"2026-04-21T13:14:30Z","_id":"65476","project":[{"name":"SHAPE : Gestaltung von Dienstleistungsentwicklungsprozessen und lnnovationspartnerschaften mit Unternehmen","_id":"1250"}],"department":[{"_id":"195"},{"_id":"534"}],"user_id":"59677","status":"public","type":"journal_article","title":"Service through communication—Conceptualizing service systems with Luhmann’s systems theory","publisher":"Springer Science and Business Media LLC","date_created":"2026-04-21T13:13:02Z","year":"2026","quality_controlled":"1","issue":"1","keyword":["Service system","Service ecosystem","Systems theory","Service research"],"ddc":["380"],"language":[{"iso":"eng"}],"abstract":[{"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.","lang":"eng"}],"file":[{"date_updated":"2026-04-21T13:14:30Z","creator":"dabe","date_created":"2026-04-21T13:14:30Z","file_size":2793039,"file_id":"65477","file_name":"Service is Communication - EM Paper.pdf","access_level":"closed","content_type":"application/pdf","success":1,"relation":"main_file"}],"publication":"Electronic Markets"},{"citation":{"short":"J.M. Schäfer, J. Liebschner, P. Rajko, H. Cohnen, N. Lugmair, D. Heinz, in: Proceedings of the 20th International Conference on Wirtschaftsinformatik (WI 2025), Association for Information Systems (AIS), Münster, Germany, 2025.","bibtex":"@inproceedings{Schäfer_Liebschner_Rajko_Cohnen_Lugmair_Heinz_2025, place={Münster, Germany}, title={Designing Digital Service Innovation Hubs: An Ecosystem Perspective on the Challenges and Requirements of SMEs and the Public Sector}, booktitle={Proceedings of the 20th International Conference on Wirtschaftsinformatik (WI 2025)}, publisher={Association for Information Systems (AIS)}, author={Schäfer, Jannika Marie and Liebschner, Jonas and Rajko, Polina and Cohnen, Henrik and Lugmair, Nina and Heinz, Daniel}, year={2025} }","mla":"Schäfer, Jannika Marie, et al. “Designing Digital Service Innovation Hubs: An Ecosystem Perspective on the Challenges and Requirements of SMEs and the Public Sector.” <i>Proceedings of the 20th International Conference on Wirtschaftsinformatik (WI 2025)</i>, Association for Information Systems (AIS), 2025.","apa":"Schäfer, J. M., Liebschner, J., Rajko, P., Cohnen, H., Lugmair, N., &#38; Heinz, D. (2025). Designing Digital Service Innovation Hubs: An Ecosystem Perspective on the Challenges and Requirements of SMEs and the Public Sector. <i>Proceedings of the 20th International Conference on Wirtschaftsinformatik (WI 2025)</i>. 20th International Conference on Wirtschaftsinformatik (WI 2025), Münster, Germany.","ama":"Schäfer JM, Liebschner J, Rajko P, Cohnen H, Lugmair N, Heinz D. Designing Digital Service Innovation Hubs: An Ecosystem Perspective on the Challenges and Requirements of SMEs and the Public Sector. In: <i>Proceedings of the 20th International Conference on Wirtschaftsinformatik (WI 2025)</i>. Association for Information Systems (AIS); 2025.","chicago":"Schäfer, Jannika Marie, Jonas Liebschner, Polina Rajko, Henrik Cohnen, Nina Lugmair, and Daniel Heinz. “Designing Digital Service Innovation Hubs: An Ecosystem Perspective on the Challenges and Requirements of SMEs and the Public Sector.” In <i>Proceedings of the 20th International Conference on Wirtschaftsinformatik (WI 2025)</i>. Münster, Germany: Association for Information Systems (AIS), 2025.","ieee":"J. M. Schäfer, J. Liebschner, P. Rajko, H. Cohnen, N. Lugmair, and D. Heinz, “Designing Digital Service Innovation Hubs: An Ecosystem Perspective on the Challenges and Requirements of SMEs and the Public Sector,” presented at the 20th International Conference on Wirtschaftsinformatik (WI 2025), Münster, Germany, 2025."},"jel":["M15"],"place":"Münster, Germany","year":"2025","publication_status":"published","conference":{"location":"Münster, Germany","end_date":"17.09.2025","start_date":"14.09.2025","name":"20th International Conference on Wirtschaftsinformatik (WI 2025)"},"title":"Designing Digital Service Innovation Hubs: An Ecosystem Perspective on the Challenges and Requirements of SMEs and the Public Sector","date_created":"2025-09-16T13:44:53Z","author":[{"first_name":"Jannika Marie","last_name":"Schäfer","full_name":"Schäfer, Jannika Marie","id":"74374"},{"first_name":"Jonas","last_name":"Liebschner","full_name":"Liebschner, Jonas"},{"first_name":"Polina","full_name":"Rajko, Polina","last_name":"Rajko"},{"first_name":"Henrik","last_name":"Cohnen","full_name":"Cohnen, Henrik"},{"first_name":"Nina","full_name":"Lugmair, Nina","last_name":"Lugmair"},{"first_name":"Daniel","full_name":"Heinz, Daniel","last_name":"Heinz"}],"publisher":"Association for Information Systems (AIS)","date_updated":"2025-09-16T13:46:05Z","status":"public","abstract":[{"lang":"eng","text":"Service ecosystems reshape service innovation by enabling value co-creation among diverse actors. However, small and medium-sized enterprises and public organizations face significant challenges navigating and leveraging these ecosystems due to resource constraints, knowledge gaps, and partnership difficulties. While digital innovation hubs have been introduced as potential intermediaries to foster innovation, existing models primarily focus on individual solutions and networking rather than orchestrating service innovation. This study investigates the design of a digital service innovation hub as an orchestrating entity that facilitates service innovation within ecosystems. Under the design science research paradigm, we analyze the challenges faced by small and medium-sized enterprises and public organizations and derive design requirements for these hubs. Based on 17 expert interviews and focus group validations, we define the problem\r\nspace and provide a requirements catalog for designing digital service innovation hubs as a step towards providing holistic support for service innovation initiatives."}],"publication":"Proceedings of the 20th International Conference on Wirtschaftsinformatik (WI 2025)","type":"conference","language":[{"iso":"eng"}],"keyword":["service innovation","ecosystem","innovation hubs","SMEs","public sector"],"department":[{"_id":"195"}],"user_id":"74374","_id":"61309","project":[{"_id":"1250","name":"SHAPE : Gestaltung von Dienstleistungsentwicklungsprozessen und lnnovationspartnerschaften mit Unternehmen"}]},{"department":[{"_id":"66"},{"_id":"534"},{"_id":"276"}],"user_id":"47208","_id":"21727","project":[{"name":"SFB 901","_id":"1"},{"name":"SFB 901 - Project Area C","_id":"4"},{"_id":"17","name":"SFB 901 - Subproject C5"}],"language":[{"iso":"eng"}],"keyword":["Platform Ecosystems","Platform Ecosystem Modeling Language","Platform Ecosystem Development Tool","Business Models","Design Science"],"publication":"Proceedings of the 29th European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS)","type":"conference","status":"public","abstract":[{"lang":"eng","text":"Platform-based business models underlie the success of many of today’s largest, fastest-growing, and most disruptive companies. Despite the success of prominent examples, such as Uber and Airbnb, creating a profitable platform ecosystem presents a key challenge for many companies across all industries. Although research provides knowledge about platforms’ different value drivers (e.g., network effects), companies that seek to transform their current business model into a platform-based one lack an artifact to reduce knowledge boundaries, collaborate effectively, and cope with the complexities and dynamics of platform ecosystems. We address this challenge by developing two artifacts and combining research from variability modeling, business model dependencies, and system dynamics. This paper presents a design science research approach to develop the platform ecosystem modeling language and the platform ecosystem development tool that support researcher and practitioner by visualizing and simulating platform ecosystems. "}],"author":[{"last_name":"Vorbohle","full_name":"Vorbohle, Christian","id":"29951","first_name":"Christian"},{"first_name":"Sebastian","id":"47208","full_name":"Gottschalk, Sebastian","last_name":"Gottschalk"}],"date_created":"2021-04-23T13:38:54Z","publisher":"AIS","date_updated":"2022-01-06T06:55:12Z","conference":{"location":"Virtual Conference/Workshop","name":"29th European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS)"},"title":"Towards Visualizing and Simulating Business Models in Dynamic Platform Ecosystems ","publication_status":"accepted","citation":{"short":"C. Vorbohle, S. Gottschalk, in: Proceedings of the 29th European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS), AIS, n.d.","bibtex":"@inproceedings{Vorbohle_Gottschalk, title={Towards Visualizing and Simulating Business Models in Dynamic Platform Ecosystems }, booktitle={Proceedings of the 29th European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS)}, publisher={AIS}, author={Vorbohle, Christian and Gottschalk, Sebastian} }","mla":"Vorbohle, Christian, and Sebastian Gottschalk. “Towards Visualizing and Simulating Business Models in Dynamic Platform Ecosystems .” <i>Proceedings of the 29th European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS)</i>, AIS.","apa":"Vorbohle, C., &#38; Gottschalk, S. (n.d.). Towards Visualizing and Simulating Business Models in Dynamic Platform Ecosystems . In <i>Proceedings of the 29th European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS)</i>. Virtual Conference/Workshop: AIS.","ama":"Vorbohle C, Gottschalk S. Towards Visualizing and Simulating Business Models in Dynamic Platform Ecosystems . In: <i>Proceedings of the 29th European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS)</i>. AIS.","chicago":"Vorbohle, Christian, and Sebastian Gottschalk. “Towards Visualizing and Simulating Business Models in Dynamic Platform Ecosystems .” In <i>Proceedings of the 29th European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS)</i>. AIS, n.d.","ieee":"C. Vorbohle and S. Gottschalk, “Towards Visualizing and Simulating Business Models in Dynamic Platform Ecosystems ,” in <i>Proceedings of the 29th European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS)</i>, Virtual Conference/Workshop."},"year":"2021"}]