Sustain­ability and Ser­vice In­nov­a­tion, 1st Year Pro­ject

Course content

The specificity of service organizations demands that business leaders pay special attention to organizational conditions, resources and competences needed for good quality services, along with concerns for profitability and longevity. Furthermore, thriving as a business in the Anthropocene Era demands that leaders navigate and respond adequately to grand societal challenges such as climate change, overconsumption, economic inequality and discrimination (to mention a few). The course provides insights into analyses of service innovations in contemporary market oriented companies, and offers space for students to discuss key characteristics of services and service innovation, innovations as process and outcome, the role of consumers as co-creators of value, and the role of technology in service innovation.

The course will focus on examining links between sustainability and service innovations through the exploration of four main themes:

1. The role of businesses in society. This theme introduces dominant and emerging paradigms of business strategies in relation to sustainability challenges, giving students an opportunity to examine and compare elements of innovative business models.
2. Value creation for business and society. This theme examines the concept of ‘value’ from individual, organizational and societal perspectives, introducing students to critical perspectives in service sciences and innovation studies.
3. Novelty, materiality and practice. This theme discusses the duality of agency and structure, and its relevance for understanding service innovation, with a particular focus on sustainable services.
4. Technology, digitalization and sustainability. This theme will critically examine the contribution of technological development in society, taking digitalization as a specific example to inquire about innovation effects within and beyond organizational boundaries.  

Through a mix of lectures, case discussions and group work, the course fosters a critical understanding of innovation in the context of services, exploring strengths and limitations in addressing sustainability aspects.

The course will lead to the 1st year project, where students are expected to present service concepts, provide arguments for their relevance as examples of innovation and critically reflect on the contribution they make to sustainability.