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What causes imbalance in complex service networks? Evidence from a public health service

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posted on 2016-09-26, 13:21 authored by K. Verleye, E. Jaakkola, Ian HodgkinsonIan Hodgkinson, Gyuchan Thomas JunGyuchan Thomas Jun, G. Odekerken-Schroder, J. Quist
Purpose – Service networks are inherently complex as they comprise of many interrelated actors, often driven by divergent interests. This can result in imbalance, which refers to a situation where the interests of at least one actor in a network are not secured. Drawing on the “balanced centricity” perspective, this paper explores the causes of imbalance in complex service networks. Design/methodology/approach – Adopting a qualitative case-based approach, this paper examines a public health service network that experienced imbalance that was detrimental to the lives of its users: the Mid-Staffordshire NHS Trust, UK. Drawing on service-dominant logic and stakeholder theory, case evidence provides insight into the origin and drivers of imbalance in complex public service networks. Findings – The origin of imbalance stems from competing institutional logics of various actors (patients/public, employees, managers, regulatory bodies, etc.), but the degree to which these competing institutional logics lead to imbalance is moderated by accountability, communication, engagement, and responsiveness within the service network. Research limitations/implications – By uncovering causes of imbalance in complex public service networks, this paper pinpoints important research avenues for developing the balanced centricity perspective. Practical implications – The inherent existence of multiple parallel institutional arrangements makes networks imbalanced, but value creation can be achieved when the appropriate mechanisms are fostered to manage balance between divergent logics. Originality/value – By examining imbalance as the underlying cause of network dysfunction, this research contributes to understanding of the dynamics in, and performance of, complex public service networks.

History

School

  • Business and Economics

Department

  • Business

Published in

Journal of Service Management

Volume

28

Issue

1

Pages

34-56

Citation

VERLEYE, K. ...et al., 2017. What causes imbalance in complex service networks? Evidence from a public health service. Journal of Service Management, 28 (1), pp. 34-56.

Publisher

© Emerald

Version

  • AM (Accepted Manuscript)

Publisher statement

This work is made available according to the conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) licence. Full details of this licence are available at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

Acceptance date

2016-09-03

Publication date

2017-03-20

ISSN

1757-5826

Language

  • en