Closing the Gap Between Research and Practice – A Study on the Usage of Service Engineering Development Methods in German Enterprises

Abstract

Service Engineering (SE) evolved in the mid-1990s and has become a popular and interdisciplinary field of research in service science since then. However, the diffusion of SE research results into practice is still rare. This is especially crucial, since structured SE methodologies are required to support businesses with the ongoing digitalization of their services. To help closing the gap between research and practice, we conducted 13 semi-structured interviews with experts from eight enterprises in Lower Saxony, Germany, that are involved in (technical) services. The results reveal several requirements and barriers, which hinder companies from implementing and using structured SE methodologies. The findings can be used to help researchers developing industry-friendly approaches and practitioners to set up their enterprises for future-oriented (smart) service engineering. © 2018, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.