The human side of service engineering

Abstract

Service engineering is concerned with applying engineering methods to make and scale diverse types of service systems, which range from transportation and finance to health care and government. What makes modern service engineering uniquely challenging is the need not only to consider the technical side of these system designs but also to focus on how these systems engage, relate to, and are perceived to contribute to the self-actualization goals of their all-too-human -"cocreators of value." Service systems must have a wide-ranging "human side." In this article, we propose a framework to scope and better define the human side of modern service systems. We then explore how to impact the cocreation of value in modern service systems, characterized by their digital, interconnected, dynamic, and human-intensive nature. In conclusion, we relate the other articles in this special issue to this modern service system framework, as well as suggesting future research directions. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.