Services Research Collaborations: Beyond the ivory Tower

Academic institutions, businesses, societies, and governments all have a great deal to gain by investing in a better understanding of the science, management, and engineering aspects of services. However, instead of waiting for all the questions to be answered in the academic laboratory, services scholarship is best served in an iterative process that moves from the crucibles of academe to the portals of practice and vice versa. This paper describes three unique applications of this precept in The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business' Initiative for Managing Services. The contexts include projects for students, working with chiefs of police and superintendents, and a collaborative venture with a business to help public school principals.