Service Systems Evolving from the Systems Thinking Tradition

While a variety of schools of systems thinking coexist, an interest in service systems lends itself to consideration of the legacy from the Tavistock Institute for Human Relations, digested in a three volume anthology, on The Social Engagement of Social Science .

Causal Texture Theory describes how a system and its environment interact, as well as how each relate to themselves.

Social Systems Science can be viewed from three perspective: a socio-psychological systems perspective; a socio-technical systems perspective; and a socio-ecological systems perspective.

The central focus in Social Systems Science is a social organization.

<ul> <li>The socio-psychological perspective focuses on the interactions between the social organization and a person.</li> <li>The socio-technical perspective focuses on the interactions between the social organization and machines.</li> <li>The socio-ecological perspective focuses on the interactions between the social organization and the contextual field (in the larger world).</li> </ul>

How might we similarly thinking about service systems?

The central focus in a Service Systems Science could be a service system composed of two parties (i.e. a customer signatory and a provider signatory); offerings (in strategic dimensions of depth of coproduction, range of products and services, and choice as bundled to unbundled ; and commitments .

<ul> <li>An engagement perspective could focus on the interaction between the service system and other interested parties, i.e. beneficiaries, providers and designers.</li> <li>A development perspective could focus on the interaction between the service system through its evolution, i.e. construction, deployment and decommissioning.</li> <li>An enjoyment perspective could focus on the interaction between the service system and its operation, i.e. functionality, adaptability and sustainability.</li> </ul> These perspectives are speculative, and could bear greater discussion and scrutiny.