Unlocking the intellectual core of transformative service: a hybrid review and research agenda

Purpose Research on the Transformative Service Research (TSR) domain has proliferated in the service management literature over the past decade. The purpose of this study is to undertake a hybrid systematic literature review of TSR to trace its theoretical evolution, examine its conceptual underpinnings and propose pathways for future research. Design/methodology/approach We identify and categorise the fundamental themes in TSR research by supplementing a systematic literature review with bibliographic coupling of 247 extracted papers. Furthermore, based on content analysis of extracted themes, we propose a comprehensive conceptual framework encompassing facilitators and unintended outcomes of transformative value creation. We used the Theory, Context, Characteristics and Methodology (TCCM) framework to integrate, communicate and critically assess the findings and provide avenues for future research. Findings Our review reveals that TSR research is organised around four key thematic conversations: (a) designing memorable service experience, (b) factors accentuating customer engagement, (c) systemic well-being orchestration and (d) TSR as a source of social upliftment. The proposed conceptual framework elucidates the roles, responsibilities, and underlying relationships among the service network actors and lists other situational factors, facilitating factors and unintended harms that influence transformative value creation at multiple levels, impacting individual and societal well-being. Practical implications This study acts as a guide to practitioners on how to design services that enhance service network actors’ agency, as well as lists important factors that lead to a sustainable and transformative service system. Social implications The study elaborates on the role of TSR as an agent of social change. The detailed analysis provides the theoretical grounding necessary to investigate how services can be leveraged to play a central role in reducing human deprivation and ensuring sustainable societal well-being. Originality/value Such a detailed literature review that focuses solely on TSR and consolidates TSR’s evolutionary trajectory is absent in the literature. In doing so, we integrate, critically evaluate and expand on the TSR-related research, offering a roadmap to help achieve the domain’s vision of delivering “uplifting change.”