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The Role of Socio-Technical Experiments in Introducing Sustainable Product-Service System Innovations

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The Handbook of Service Innovation

Abstract

Product-Service System (PSS) innovations represent a promising approach to sustainability, but their implementation and diffusion are hindered by several cultural, corporate, and regulative barriers. Hence, an important challenge is not only to conceive sustainable PSS concepts, but also to understand how to manage, support, and orient the introduction and diffusion of these concepts. Building upon insights from transition studies (in particular, the concepts of Strategic Niche Management and Transition Management), and through an action research project, the chapter investigates the role of design in introducing sustainable radical service innovations. A key role is given to the implementation of socio-technical experiments, partially protected spaces where innovations can be incubated and tested, become more mature, and potentially favor the implementation and scaling up process.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Several studies indicate that we can only consider sustainable those socio-technical systems whose use of environmental resources is at least 90 % less than what is currently done in mature industrial contexts (Schmidt-Bleek 1996).

  2. 2.

    For instance: PROSECCO, Product and Service Co-Design process (2002–2004, FP5); HiCS, Highly Costumerized Solutions (2001–2004, FP5); MEPSS, Method for PSS development (2001–2004, FP5); SusProNet, the sustainable product service design network (2002–2004, FP5); SCORE!, Sustainable COnsumption Research Exchange! (2006–2009, FP6).

  3. 3.

    For an extensive review of PSS design methods and tools see Tukker and Tischner (2006a).

  4. 4.

    The most diffused ones are: social experiments (Verheul and Vergragt 1995), experiments in Strategic Niche Management (Kemp et al. 1998), transition experiments (Rotmans et al. 2000; Van den Bosch 2010), bounded socio-technical experiments (Brown et al. 2003).

  5. 5.

    The crucial dilemma of protection measures is to find the right balance between the need to nurture the innovation and the need to prepare it for the selection pressures of a market environment (Weber et al. 1999).

  6. 6.

    For a detailed description of the research methodology see Ceschin (2012).

  7. 7.

    In particular the analysis focused on: the role of socio-technical experiments; the socio-economic actors involved during the process; the negotiation processes and alignment of actors’ expectations; the actors learning processes.

  8. 8.

    Prototyped by IPSIA “A. Ferrari” Maranello and Politecnico di Milano in 2006.

  9. 9.

    Gumus, H. (2009) Kanga: a sustainable system design for the transportation of learners with disabilities in Cape Town—South Africa. Master’s degree thesis. Politecnico di Milano.

  10. 10.

    Among them: (I) the offering diagram, to succinctly visualize what the PSS offers to customers; (II) the interaction table, to visualize how the PSS offer is delivered to customers (sequence of interactions occurring at front-desk level and back-stage level); (III) the system map, to visualize the structure of the value chain; (IV) the sustainability diagram, to visualize the environmental, socio-ethical and economic benefits delivered by the PSS.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Design, College of Engineering, Design and Physical Sciences, Brunel University London, Kingston Lane, Uxbridge, UB8 3PH, UK

    Fabrizio Ceschin

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  1. Fabrizio Ceschin
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Correspondence to Fabrizio Ceschin .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. UTS Business School, University of Technology Sydney, Broadway, Australia

    Renu Agarwal

  2. University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia

    Willem Selen

  3. UTS Business School, University of Technology, Sydney, Australia

    Göran Roos

  4. UTS Business School, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia

    Roy Green

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Ceschin, F. (2015). The Role of Socio-Technical Experiments in Introducing Sustainable Product-Service System Innovations. In: Agarwal, R., Selen, W., Roos, G., Green, R. (eds) The Handbook of Service Innovation. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-6590-3_18

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-6590-3_18

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