The institutional turn in service research: taking stock and moving ahead

Purpose Service scholars are finding that institutions – enduring social structures, such as rules, norms, beliefs – are increasingly important in theorizing on service-related phenomena. The purpose of this paper is to advance the use of institutional theory in service research by synthesizing the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of services marketing 2020-06, Vol.34 (3), p.373-387
Main Authors: Koskela-Huotari, Kaisa, Vink, Josina, Edvardsson, Bo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Business Administration
Business to business commerce
Case studies
Data analysis
Data collection
Företagsekonomi
Industrial markets
Institutional theory
Institutions
Literature review
Literature reviews
Marketing
Research agenda
Service research
Service-dominant logic
Social structure
Technology adoption
Theory
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Summary:Purpose Service scholars are finding that institutions – enduring social structures, such as rules, norms, beliefs – are increasingly important in theorizing on service-related phenomena. The purpose of this paper is to advance the use of institutional theory in service research by synthesizing the key insights from institutional theory that have been applied to service-related phenomena and developing a research agenda to guide the future use of institutional theory in service research. Design/methodology/approach This paper is an integrative literature review covering 68 articles from major service research and marketing journals that adopt institutional concepts and frameworks to study service-related phenomena. Findings The paper maps the “institutional turn” of service research, that is, the increasing tendency to draw on institutional theory for theoretical insights within service research and builds a conceptual framework of the institutional stabilization and destabilization mechanisms that explain endurance and change in service phenomena. The paper also proposes a research agenda that outlines four previously ignored aspects of institutions that have important implications for service research. Research limitations/implications In addition to synthesizing insights and proposing directions for future research, the paper highlights specific theoretical and methodological considerations for the future use of institutional theory within service research. The literature review is limited to the 13 major service research and marketing journals. Originality/value This paper is the first literature review of the use of institutional theory in service research.
ISSN:0887-6045
2054-1651
DOI:10.1108/JSM-02-2019-0101