Article on the emergence of novel solutions in multi-actor service systems awarded
Service Science Best Article of 2016 Awardees Recognized
Congratulations to Jaakko Siltaloppi (Aalto University), Kaisa Koskela-Huotari (Karlstad University), and Stephen L. Vargo ( University of Hawai鈥榠 at M膩noa).
Their article, Institutional Complexity as a Driver for Innovation in Service Ecosystems, was selected as the Best Article in Service Science for 2016.
Nominations were received from members of the Service Science Section, and results determined based on voting by the journal's editorial board.
"Our paper, titled 鈥淚nstitutional complexity as a driver for innovation in service ecosystems鈥, focuses on the emergence of novel solutions in multi-actor service systems. Viewing innovation as institutional change, our paper starts by identifying the multiple institutional arrangements that guide and constrain human action. The multiple institutional arrangements overlap and sometimes contradict, creating incompatible prescriptions for action. This institutional complexity reduces the influence of prevailing institutions, enabling actors to combine the resources available through multiple institutional arrangements in novel ways鈥攖hat is, enable them to innovate."
In this sense, the paper provides an institutional conceptualization of innovation that places diversity and reflexive problem-solving at the core of creating new solutions. This expands understanding on the early phase of the innovation process. Moreover, it advances the service-dominant logic by conceptually reconciling the stability of institutional arrangements with the actor-driven creation of novel solutions."
Jaakko Siltaloppi, Department of Industrial Engineering and Management, Aalto University, Finland
Kaisa Koskela-Huotari: CTF Service Research Center, Karlstad University, Sweden.
Steve Vargo: Shidler College of Business, Department of Marketing, University of Hawai鈥檌 at Manoa, USA.
For more information, see:
Siltaloppi, J., Koskela-Huotari, K. & Vargo, S. L. (2016). Institutional complexity as a driver for innovation in service ecosystems. Service Science, 8(3), 333-343.
--
Service Science publishes innovative and original papers on all topics related to service, including work that crosses traditional disciplinary boundaries. It is the primary forum for presenting new theories and new empirical results in the emerging, interdisciplinary science of service, incorporating research, education, and practice, documenting empirical, modeling, and theoretical studies of service and service systems.
Read more news
Shimmering Success: Aalto Acoustics Lab team wins Best Paper at DAFx 2026
The paper reimagines the popular 'shimmer' effect, known for its ethereal, pitch-shifted ambience
The Business Leader of the Year 2026 is Annikka Hurme, CEO of Valio
In addition, Annika Blomqvist was awarded for promoting entrepreneurship and Sanni Mustonen for her excellent master鈥檚 thesis.
EAA Best Paper and Presentation Award for Young Researchers for postdoctoral researcher Thomas Deppisch
The awarded work shows how speech can be made clearer in noisy environments while still preserving directional cues