Introduction to the Special Issue — Social Computing and Service Innovation: A Framework for Research

ABSTRACT

Recently, we more and more observe service innovations emerging from social interactions among a network of actors inside and outside of organizations. Social computing technologies are the main facilitators of social interactions, hence increasingly play a vital role in the service innovation. Yet, research on the role of social computing in service innovation lacks clear theoretical and empirical basis. This special issue was designed to stimulate research on the intersection of social computing and service innovation. In this paper, we outline a broad research framework in this regard, including the papers in this special issue and areas for future research.

KEYWORDS:

• Social computing, service innovation
• organizational innovation
• research agenda
• special issue

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Babak Abedin

Babak Abedin is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Systems, Management, and Leadership, University of Technology Sydney (UTS) in Sydney, Australia. He holds a PhD from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Information Systems. His research examines how social computing and peer-to-peer platforms can improve individuals’ wellbeing and competitiveness and empower organizations to innovate and stay relevant to consumers. His studies appear in Information Systems Frontiers, Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, Behaviour & Information Technology, International Journal of Enterprise Information Systems, British Journal of Educational Technology, and Computers & Education. Prior to joining academia, Dr. Abedin worked as a business analyst and IT project manager in several national and international management consulting firms, the oil and petrochemical industry, and the banking sector.

Hamed Qahri-Saremi

Hamed Qahri-Saremi is an Assistant Professor of Information Systems at the College of Computing and Digital Media, DePaul University, in Chicago, IL. He holds a PhD in business administration with a concentration on information systems from the DeGroote School of Business, McMaster University. His research focuses on patterns of use and consequences of use of information systems at the individual and organizational levels. His work has appeared in different research outlets, such as Journal of Management Information Systems, Journal of Strategic Information Systems, Information & Management, Expert Systems with Applications, New Media & Society, and Computers & Education. Dr. Qahri-Saremi has served in various capacities as an editor, a reviewer, a mini-track chair, and a session chair for journals and conferences in information systems field.