Rethinking service systems and service ecosystems

This article aims to propose and clarify a distinction between service systems and service ecosystems as different components of analysis. In recent years, the two concepts have gained prominence in service research, and are frequently used interchangeably. The article argues for an approach where the service ecosystem is understood as the wider context in which various service systems exist. Through this distinction, the theoretical coupling seeks to explain how service systems are influenced by and can make use of actors that are not part of their formalized system, as well as better understand how service systems are affected by external influences.