Social Service

Systems and

Why We Need

Sociology for

Developing Them?

@mikaelseppala

Sociologist (YTM)

Action Researcher (KM)

Entrepreneur (KTM)

Service Designer (MBA)

Business & Data Architect (5y xp)

Current research/interest:

Human-business-IT alignment

Service science

Enterprise architecture

Service design

Practice

Purpose

& Solution

Investments

& Delivery

Theory The

Knowledge

Base

“Fractal discinctions produce an

illusion of progress from a reality of

tradition.

Disciplines borrow from each other

endlessly, but train scholars more or

less within consistent lineages.“

Midgley: Language/subject/object

recursive form

De Zeeuw: Third Phase Science

RELATIONSHIPS

AROUND OBJECTS

Local/Distributed

9

Direct societal contribution

Indirect societal contribution

Independent observation

Intervention

Use-inspired basic research

Pasteur’s Quadrant: Normal science with use-inspired research questions

User-outlined interventionary research

Lewin’s Quadrant:User-outlined interventionary research questions

Reflexive research

Kuhn’s Quadrant: Revolutionary science research questions with implications of renewal of science

Basic research

Bohr’s Quadrant: Normal science with theory-inspired research questions on new topics

Rethinking the functions of higher education research in the social sciences : the case of the Family Business Review / Mikael Seppälä. (http://bit.ly/1aUhFfn)

Action research is either

research initiated to solve an

immediate problem or a

reflective process of progressive

problem solving led by individuals

working with others in teams or

as part of a "community of

practice" to improve the way

they address issues and solve

problems. (Wikipedia)

KURT LEWIN 1890-1947

DESIGN RESEARCH AS INTERVENTION

Sociologists

operate here

But we fail to move into this space!

4th orderComplex systems and environments

3rd orderActivities and

organized services

2nd orderMaterial objects

1st orderSymbolic and

visual communications

Richard Buchanan:

Four orders

of design

Local objects

Distributed objects

YOU’VE GOT A BUNCH OF SERVICES...

... AND COMPLICATED ARCHITECTURES

Maglio, Vargo, Caswell and Spohrer:

Service Systems

Entities (people, orgs) and resources

(materials, information, tech)

connected to enable value propositions

Lusch and Vargo:

Service Ecosystems

Purposeful

institutional arrangementsinstitutions—humanly devised rules, norms, and beliefs that enable and

constrain action and make social life predictable and meaningful

Service refers to a dyadic (2-way) relationship

A service system has multiple relationships

Positive Platforms: Platforms with heart

Values

Platforms Services

What types of positive values do

we want to promote?

How do the actors

collaborate and share

resources to enable the

services?

What are the core and

complementary

services that are

provided by the

platform?

Core components of positive platforms

Enhancing the

Platform-Worker

relationship

Envisioning new ways

to Funding, Ownership

and Governance

Generating &

Measuring Trans-

formative Outcomes

Ensuring Transparency

and Fairness on

Platforms

KC1 KC2 KC3 KC4

Paths for upskilling Inclusive decision making Measuring transformative

impact

Data Ownership and

portable identities

Fair income Value distribution and

value creation

Policymaking Algorithmic transparency

Inclusion Workers and

shareholders

Positive community

impact

Elimination of bias

Continuous feedback Cooperative models

Key Challenges and Themes

Cynefin