Empowering value co-creation in the digital age
Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing
ISSN: 0885-8624
Article publication date: 27 September 2021
Issue publication date: 30 May 2024
Abstract
Purpose
Technology is revolutionizing the management logic of service systems. The increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI), in particular, is challenging interaction between humans and machines changing the service systems’ value co-creation configurations and logic. To envision possible future scenarios, this paper aims to reflect upon how the humans’ use of AI technology can impact value co-creation.
Design/methodology/approach
The study is developed, at a conceptual level, using selected elements from managerial and marketing theoretical frameworks interested in value co-creation – Service-Dominant Logic, Service Science and Viable Systems Approach (VSA) – used as interpretative tools to reframe value co-creation in the digital age.
Findings
The interpretative approach adopted and, in particular, the new VSA notion of Intelligence Augmentation (IA), in the perspective of the information variety model, shed new light on value co-creation in the digital age framing a possible “IA effect” that can empower value co-creation in complex decision-making contexts.
Practical implications
The study provides insights useful in the design and management of service systems suggesting a rethinking of the view of AI as a means for mainly increasing the smartness of service systems and a new focus on the enhancement of the human resources contribution to make the service systems wiser.
Originality/value
The paper provides a refocused interpretative view of the interaction between humans and AI that looks at a possible positive impact of the use of AI on humans in terms of augmented decision-making capabilities in conditions of complexity.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Authors are very grateful to the reviewers for their valuable comments that helped them improve the manuscript.
Citation
Barile, S., Bassano, C., Piciocchi, P., Saviano, M. and Spohrer, J.C. (2024), "Empowering value co-creation in the digital age", Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, Vol. 39 No. 6, pp. 1130-1143. https://doi.org/10.1108/JBIM-12-2019-0553
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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