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Managerial studies have long approached socioeconomic settings as “isolated” domains interested in defending themselves from the “external environment”. As a consequence, several managerial models have been developed to address employees and decision makers in protecting ‘internal resources’ as a means to ensure organizations’ suitable long-term survival. Building upon this wide and generally recognized assumption, the paper adopts the interpretative lens provided by a resource-based view and relationship marketing to investigate the influence of employees’ perceptions about internal organizational assets and environmental dynamics on employees’ orientation to knowledge hiding as a way to protect individual knowledge. The perceptions of 525 employees engaged in 21 Italian innovative small and medium enterprises have been analyzed using structural equation modeling. The paper underlines the need to support employees in overcoming an isolation-based view of socioeconomic settings in order to enhance knowledge value through a definition of human-based managerial models and research paths.

Internationalisation begins with companies’ decision to enter global markets to develop knowledge and experience as key competitive factors in the global economy, which has been the subject of much empirical research. Decision-making, knowledge management, and effective internationalisation have become key strategic tools for all companies, especially for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This study wants to provide a framework for SMEs internationalisation based on the real options theory, (ROT) as a knowledge driver method. For this purpose, the effective factors for internationalisation were identified by reviewing the literature on the subject and the internal and external backgrounds of the subject. Then, main and sub-factors were prioritised by the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method. The statistical population consisted of senior managers, business managers of SMEs in Isfahan, Iran, who were eligible to enter this study. Twenty-six experts participated in this study by judgmental non-random sampling method. A fuzzy AHP questionnaire was prepared in the form of 19 sub-factors and 7 main factors. The components of each factor in each group were also ranked by experts, and their weights were obtained. Next, according to the ROT strategies which have 5 options, an alignment matrix was used to align the factors affecting the decision with the strategies. After answering the research question, the option that had a higher mode was considered AS; then, this score was multiplied by the weight obtained in the previous step and the TAS was obtained. Finally, strategies were classified as appropriate, need further investigation, and inappropriate.

Recognizing internationalization as one of the more recently debated topics in the management field, this paper aims at investigating the influence of international R&D teams on companies’ innovativeness. More specifically, combining the transaction cost approach, the international product life cycle model, and the eclectic paradigm, an integrative research model with four associated hypotheses is proposed to study international R&D teams. Hypotheses are tested using data collected on a sample of 218 Italian companies with the aim of enriching the ongoing debate about the role of international R&D teams in sustaining companies’ innovativeness. The research shows that the number of international team projects, the number of R&D employees from foreign countries, and the number of meetings during the year for international knowledge sharing positively influence companies’ innovative outcomes. Accordingly, results emphasize the central role of knowledge contamination and collaboration for promoting companies’ innovation.

Big Data is one of the most debated topics, as its implications for innovation management and entrepreneurship development are attracting interest from researchers and practitioners. Despite the increasing interest on this topic, a relevant research question remains unsolved: what are the conditions required for the effective management of Big Data? Adopting the interpretative lens provided by Systems Thinking and Service Logic, a set of hypotheses are defined and tested through the Partial Least Squares (PLS), with reference to the 50 Big Data companies for 2017 as identified by Big Data Quarterly. The results show that several elements such as company's investment in innovation and technology and specialization of human resource positively impact on Big Data Companies' Return on Investment (ROI). Results and discussions herein enrich previous managerial debate about the domain of Big Data highlighting ‘tangible’ elements on which act for improving innovation management approaches for companies.

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the potential of knowledge management (KM) as a discipline in helping understand and manage social and economic complexity. The paper highlights some of the potential relationships between KM in organisations and their economic performance. Finally, the authors assess the role of human resources and technological infrastructures in the relationship between organisation’s approach to KM and their performance. Design/methodology/approach The hypotheses are tested via a survey on a sample of managerial-level employees of information technology organisations located in the city of Brno in Czech Republic. The data collected are analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM) to study the relationship between KM; the workforce’s willingness and ability to collaborate and co-create value; and the organisations’ economic performance. Findings The research found that there is a direct and positive relationship between an organisation’s approach to KM and its economic performance. This study also shows that the workforce’s behaviour and the technological infrastructure of the organisation have a direct effect on business performance. Finally, the authors proposed that a link between human resource management and technology orientation must be established and supported by a KM strategy. Originality/value This paper offers a new perspective to the approach to KM in organisations. Reflections and empirical results underline the need for organisations to invest in the implementation of KM strategies that involve both the human resources and technological infrastructure as a way to improve the impact of knowledge on the companies’ economic performances.

In the last few years, service science has opened a debate on the need to adopt new approaches to better understand emerging social and economic dynamics. By following this direction, different multi- and trans-disciplinary research pathways are requesting to consider an increasing number of new variables in the management of Complex Service Systems (CSSs), underlying the fact that traditional approaches are useless in supporting decision makers in facing the challenges imposed by a more articulated scenario. To bridge this gap, the paper focuses attention on the phenomenon of ‘smart cities’ as an example of CSSs with the aim to investigate in which ways actors’ perceptions affect opportunities and willingness for value co-creation and collaborative paths. Via a survey on a random sample of 374 providers and users of city service platform in the city of Brno in Czech Republic, the actors’ perceptions were analysed and through the Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) the relationships between actors’ perceptions and their willingness in building value co-creation and collaborative paths have been tested. The principal goal was to attract the attention of service community on the role of cognitive and psychological dimensions in affecting value co-creation and collaborative paths in CSS using the example of smart city as tangible evidence of CSS.

Purpose The aim of the paper is to analyze the impact of cooperativeness of managers who occupy central positions in interaction networks on the performance and stress levels of a whole organization. Design/methodology/approach To explore this relationship, a multi-parameter agent-based model is proposed which implements the prisoner’s dilemma game approach on a scale-free network in the NetLogo environment. A description of the socioeconomic aspects and the key concepts implemented in the model is provided. Stability and correctness have been tested through a series of validation experiments, including sensitivity analysis. The source code is available for further exploration and testing. Findings The simulations revealed that improving the stress resistance of all employees moderately increases organizational performance. Analyzing managers’ roles showed that increasing only the stress resistance of managers does not account for significantly higher overall performance. However, a substantial increase in organizational performance and a decrease in stress levels are achieved when managers are unconditionally cooperative. This effect is stronger for the lowered stress resistance of employees. Therefore, the willingness of managers to cooperate under all circumstances can be a key factor in achieving better performance and building a more pleasant, stress-free working environment. Originality/value This paper aims to present a model for analyzing cooperation, specifically in the organizational context, extending the prisoner’s dilemma with novel concepts and mechanisms. Although the results confirm the existing theories about the importance of central nodes in complex networks, they also provide further details on how the cooperative behavior of central nodes (i.e. the managers) might benefit the organization.

The increasing fluidity of social and business configurations made possible by the opportunities provided by the World Wide Web and the new technologies is questioning the validity of consolidated business models and managerial approaches. New rules are emerging and multiple changes are required to both individuals and organizations engaged in dynamic and unpredictable paths.In such a scenario, the paper aims at describing the potential role of big data and artificial intelligence in the path toward a collective approach to knowledge management. Thanks to the interpretative lens provided by systems thinking, a framework able to explain human-machine interaction is depicted and its contribution to the definition of a collective approach to knowledge management in unpredictable environment is traced.Reflections herein are briefly discussed with reference to the Chinese governmental approach for managing COVID-19 spread to emphasise the support that a technology-based collective approach to knowledge management can provide to decision-making processes in unpredictable environments.

The scope and focus of knowledge management has changed multiple times over the last decades, each shift revealing new challenges to management science. Recent change of perspective drawing from systems thinking is suggesting that knowledge is created through interaction between people. Complex network analysis is a rigorous method that can be used for evaluation of interaction patterns between employees. The literature suggests that specific interaction patterns are related to increased knowledge flow, innovativeness, and performance. Aim of this paper is to provide an overview of various approaches utilizing the complex network analysis in organizations and present suggestions that might support managerial decision-making processes related to knowledge management and organizational intelligence.

Purpose Analyzing the entrepreneurial ecosystem related to the ARCA consortium, the purpose of this paper is to study the relationships among the start-up firms inside an incubator. Design/methodology/approach Thanks to the adoption of the relationships concentric model and the density concentric model, the paper highlights the role of relational conditions for innovative projects in partnership among the incubated firms. Reflections herein are tested via a qualitative research approach based on a single case study: the ARCA consortium. Findings This research found that about 32 percent of relationships inside the incubator support the emergence of short-term relationships among the incubated firms. Furthermore, about 18 percent of the relationships support the emergence of strong collaborative strategies for the implementation of long-term relationships resulting in innovative pathways: innovative projects in partnership. Originality/value The most interconnected firms inside the incubator are those that play a central role also in the innovation pathway developing the higher number of innovative project in partnership. This finding emphasizes a correlation between collaborative relationships and innovation inside an incubator ecosystem.

In order to enrich previous contributions interested in the identification of possible pathways to improve companies’ capabilities to better face the challenges imposed by increasing social and economic variety, this paper focuses attention on the role of companies’ communications in online social environments. Thanks to the adoption of systems thinking, the paper enlarges existing contributions on companies’ online communication by combining the research streams of signalling theory, capital need theory, and legitimacy theory. By building on a multi-disciplinary literature review, this paper identifies three variables to analyse the effectiveness of companies’ communication based on the use of social networks: the frequency, the instability, and the previous activities. Empirical research is proposed with reference to a sample composed by the 50 best performing European companies in terms of return on sales (ROS) (USD) in 2015 via the use of structural equation modelling (SEM). SEM is applied to explore the relationships among identified variables in companies’ online communication on Facebook and Instagram, and how those communications influence companies’ economic performance in terms of ROS.

The paper aims at contributing to the complex debate about the role of human resources in advancing or hampering companies’ internationalisation processes. Adopting a cognitive-based view, a set of variables for coding the role of human resources in internationalisation processes are identified, and their relations with companies’ return on sales (ROS) in foreign countries are tested using structural equation modelling. From empirical research involving 638 employees from 45 Italian small and medium enterprises, the findings extend the managerial literature on internationalisation processes and human resource management, highlighting the impact of employees’ previous international job experience, culture of origin, cultural orientation towards globalisation and educational background on companies’ ROS in foreign countries.

The increasing market turbulence is recalling the attention of both researchers and practitioners interested in business dynamics on the need for developing conceptual and interpretative frameworks able to face the emerging challenges related to the on-going market changes. As a prominent domain of interest in business studies, corporate governance should rethink itself to overcome consolidated transactional approaches with the aim of ensuring companies’ survival thanks to the collaboration among all the actors involved in social and economic paths. Accordingly, the paper proposes conceptual reflections about the ways in which corporate governance could overcome traditional issues related to information asymmetry and agency problems and shift from an information transfer-based view to a knowledge-sharing approach thanks to the contribution provided by the information technologies. The Blockchain technology is used as an example for building a conceptual model able to explain the potential advantages of the proposed change in perspective for corporate governance

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the role of Smart Technologies and Big Data as relevant dimensions in affecting the emerging social and economic dynamics of society with the aim to trace possible guidelines and pathways for decision makers and researchers interested in the governance of the Smart City’s ecosystem. The increasing attention to the domain of technologies and the amazing scenario that is emerging as a consequence of the influence of Smart Technology and Big Data in everyday life require reflection upon the ways in which the world is changing. Design/methodology/approach The paper adopts the interpretative lens provided by the systems thinking to investigate the challenging domain of the Smart City. A qualitative and interpretative approach is adopted to reflect upon the role of technologies in everyday life. Findings The Smart City ecosystem is defined as a multilevel construct useful for understanding how technical and technological dimensions of the Smart City can be managed not only as supportive instruments but also as key pillars to support, facilitate and ensure an effective cognitive alignment among all the involved actors. Originality/value This paper provides a tangible evidence of the systems thinking contribution in analysing, understanding and managing dimensions and paths of social dynamics. A contribution to previous studies is provided with reference to systems thinking, Big Data and Smart City.

The liquidity of data, information and knowledge is influencing the relationships among social and economic actors through the definition of a new socio-technical configuration in which new rules influence individual behaviours and different standards determine the success of every type of actions and decisions. In this new contest, decision-makers should understand that traditional hierarchical approaches are no longer able to face the challenges imposed by an emerging relational configuration in which decisions cannot be imposed but emerge from the interactions among actors. Aiming at supporting the definition of more affordable models of decision, the study proposes a reading key for the ongoing evolution and proposes some reflections useful for the emersion of a conceptual framework more fitting with the emerging scenario. The proposed reflections aim at supporting decision-makers in the identification of key variables likely to assure competitive advantages in the emerging social configurations.

The increasing complexity and competitiveness of social and economic configurations is pushing both researchers and practitioners to identify possible new ways to improve the capability of organizations to survive in a challenging scenario (Schoemaker, 1992; Payne and Frow, 2005). Traditional managerial models and organizational approaches based on the view of a company as an autonomous entity able to influence the market and encourage stakeholders towards specific behaviours and aims are proving increasingly inefficient (Birkinshaw, 1997; Reinartz et al ., 2004). The consequence of the old market approach is the increasing risk of many organizations being unable to understand the evolution of market, with negative effects on their chances of survival (Buysse and Verbeke, 2003; Freeman et al ., 2007; Barile et al ., 2012; Golinelli et al ., 2012; Saviano and Caputo, 2012, 2013). In the last few years, to overcome the risks and failures of the old approach, different researchers and research streams have tried to identify possible new ways, focusing attention on the ability of an organization to forecast the evolution of consumers’ behaviours and lifestyles (Vrontis and Thrassou, 2007; Solomon et al ., 2012); on the organizational setting and models on which organizations’ strategies and vision are based (Cummings and Worley, 2014; Senge, 2014); and on the instruments needed to acquire more information on the evolution of context and how better to use them (Campanella et al ., 2013; Di Nauta et al., 2015). Building on the different contributions offered by literature on the ways to face the emerging social and economic challenges, it is possible to identify a common element: the increasing attention afforded to the role and the relevance of stakeholders as actors endowed by knowledge, competences and capabilities fundamental to the survival of every type of social and economic organization (Kandampully, 2002; Ayuso et al ., 2006; Vargo et al ., 2008; Hage et al ., 2010; Sanchez et al ., 2012). Donaldson and Preston (1995) define stakeholders as persons or groups with interests characterized by legitimacy in both procedural and substantive aspects of corporate activity. Building on this more general classification, it is possible to affirm that the concept of a stakeholder includes all individuals and groups influencing or able to influence organizations’ behaviours, actions and strategies. According to Freeman (1984), the concept of a stakeholder is an inclusive domain that refers to employees, customers, communities and government officials, among others. The state of knowledge on the concept of the stakeholder is principally based on stakeholder theory (Freeman, 1994; Donaldson and Preston, 1995) as the general framework that underlies the need for companies to understand and satisfy the needs of different actors involved in their field of action (Jensen, 2001; Friedman and Miles, 2002; Freeman et al ., 2004). According to An et al . (2011), stakeholder theory enriches previous studies on companies’ strategies, underlining the need to meet multiple goals related to a wide range of stakeholders. Building on this, the real challenge for every type of organization is to understand the needs of different stakeholders and to develop strategies able to satisfy them in efficient, effective and affordable ways (Cleland, 1999; Barile et al ., 2013). This challenge requires overcoming the traditional perspective of organizations as autonomous entities to adopt a vision in which companies need to interact with their stakeholders and, if possible, they need to collaborate with them and to include them in their actions and strategies to maximize the potential for organizations to survive (Shindler and Cheek, 1999; Iandolo et al., 2013; Barile et al ., 2014). Accordingly, stakeholder engagement can be considered an opportunity for companies to share their values and to generate and circulate trust and knowledge in order to build a stronger collaboration with their stakeholders (Healey, 1997; Caputo et al ., 2016a, Caputo, 2017). In such a vein, the chapter aims to investigate if information sharing and communication strategies can be considered useful pathways to build the preconditions required for the stakeholder engagement. It then proposes to investigate companies’ approach to communication as the key pathway through which to act to improve the alignment between companies and stakeholders in order to build possible preconditions for stakeholder engagement. The contribution of companies’ attention to information sharing and communication strategies to development of stronger relationships with stakeholders is verified via an empirical research oriented to investigate if there is a positive relationship among variables such as use of informal instruments of communication, publishing of social reports, number of years in which social reports are published, and availability of information on companies and companies’ market value, measured by their market capitalization. The rest of this chapter is structured as follows. In the section “Conceptual and theoretical framework” a brief literature review on the topics on which the reflections herein are based is presented. In the section “Methodology” the research design adopted with reference to empirical research is described. In the “Findings” section the results of empirical researches are presented, and in the Discussion they are analysed from both a theoretical and practical point of view. Finally, in the section “Final remarks and future lines of research” some conclusions are presented and possible future lines of research are identified.

This book extends our understanding of how different cross- functional business and management disciplines, such as innovation and entrepreneurship, strategic management, marketing and HRM, individually and collectively underpin innovation in business management. Business Models for Strategic Innovation develops insights from cross-disciplinary business knowledge streams and their cutting edge discipline-specific practical implications to create a cross- functional business innovation management model. Novel cross- disciplinary knowledge plays an imperative role in business innovation and we know that innovative management processes have significant implications for effective cross- functional management. In this context, each chapter of the book presents fresh insights on diverse business knowledge- streams as well as their applied implications on cross- functional business innovation management. Finally, centred on these cross- disciplinary business theories and their cutting edge implications, the last chapter of this book proposes a model of strategic cross- functional business innovation management process. This academically rigorous work uses innovative theoretical propositions and state- of- the- art empirical analysis in order to enable cross- functional management teams to support organisation- wide business innovation processes.

This paper proposes an analysis of the evolution of approaches to knowledge management in order to identify useful patterns and perspectives for the improvement of efficiency, effectiveness, and affordable of managerial models for the economic development. The contribution offered by the literature is analyzed in the social network theory perspective and is reinterpreted in the light of the viable system approach (vSa) as a meta-model useful to highlight variables and processes involved in the interactions among several actors. The systematization of the contributions on the knowledge management facilitates the reading and the understanding of dominant managerial models, and somehow, outlines traits and characteristics of the knowledge society—as construct based on the relationship—that traditional approaches and instruments are often not properly adequate to understand. In this perspective, the paper aims to investigate the possible and potential contribution that university can offer to address the behaviors of local actors toward pathways of knowledge co-creation, able to positively impact on the local economic and social dynamics, in a win-win logic framework. Using a cross disciplinary approach, the paper proposes a conceptual framework able to identify possible influences that university can enforce on the local context in order to improve the social alignment requested to evolve from a transactional to a relational perspective, in which all actors play an active role in the processes of value generation and their needs are effectively satisfied. Proposed reflections are supported by the analysis of some practical observations with reference to the territory of Puglia region in Italy. They highlight the relevance of university as a key actor able to address the local resources to face the challenge of a changeable emerging context.

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the possible enablers and barriers of value co-creation processes in pharmacy, with the aim of enriching previous managerial and organisational contributions in the pharmacy management domain. Design/methodology/approach Building upon the interpretative contributions provided by the service logic and systems thinking approaches, this paper proposes a multi-disciplinary conceptual framework to analyse enablers and barriers in the value co-creation process. The findings are analysed using a semi-structured survey completed by employees involved in pharmacy management which were verified by structural equation modelling to allow us to determine the relevance of the findings in a changing social and economic environment, improve skills and capabilities and analyse competitors. Findings This paper offers an exploratory picture of the opinions of the employees involved in pharmacy management, focussing on possible enablers and barriers for value co-creation and their correlation with pharmacy revenues. Research limitations/implications The reflections and empirical research herein are the first of many studies investigating research pathways supplying both providers’ and users’ perceptions in the pharmacy domain about the value co-creation process. Practical implications The empirical evidence shows the relevance of some dimensions in defining opportunities and barriers for value co-creation process and – consequentially – pharmacy’s economic performances. Originality/value This paper combines qualitative and quantitative approaches to enrich the theoretical and practical contributions to the field of value co-creation processes.

In the last few years a vibrant multi- and trans-disciplinary debate has developed around the topic of sustainability in the management of human resources. The need to go beyond old approaches based on the “use” of human resources as “factor of production” has been outlined from different points of view. To contribute to the existing knowledge about the development of more efficient, effective and sustainable approaches in human resource management, this chapter aims to investigate possible pathways and key dimensions in defining more sustainable workplaces by acting on information sharing and cognitive involvement. A possible conceptual framework for clarifying different concepts of the workplace is proposed and some implications are outlined for managerial studies in the light of information sharing and cognitive involvement.

Sustainability seems to be a hot topic today upon which a paradigmatic transformation is going on; this affects many fields and sectors by revealing the significant implications for actors’ participation, such as in healthcare. Today, healthcare calls for renewing and increasing its own main processes of hospitalization, as inspired by the current new light of sustainability; hospitalization at home (HaH) practices allow for new forms of hospitalizations, which are much more adherent to the real needs of patients and caregivers. Studies in service dominant logic (S-D logic) on service ecosystems help us in understanding which are the dynamics that are shaping actual conditions in healthcare. With the aim of contributing to the challenging debate about the role of “sustainability for healthcare„, this manuscript proposes a conceptual framework for investigating healthcare domains through the interpretative lens provided by the service ecosystems view. Previous managerial contributions are analyzed in an attempt to emphasize the contact points between studies about service ecosystem and sustainability so as to outline the possible roadmaps for sustainability in the healthcare domain. The three dimensions of HaH—efficiency of healthcare service, effectiveness in resource usage, and patients’ satisfaction—have been identified as possible levers on which promoting healthcare processes inspired by sustainability principles and their relations with the three pillars of sustainability science—the economy, society, and environment—have been analyzed. The reflections herein are finally discussed for proposing possible future directions for research interested in promoting a sustainability-based healthcare management.

Management can be considered the science of decisions. Different researchers and practitioners have analysed the contents and boundaries of this vibrant domain, proposing multiple contributions and several perspectives. After a short overview of the principles of scientific management and their contribution to the definition of the modern idea of business management, this chapter briefly introduces the topics of subjectivity, complexity and uncertainty as relevant challenges to face in decision-making processes. The aim is to identify the key dimensions of the decision-making process over time. Lastly, systems thinking, and specifically the Viable Systems Approach (vSa), is proposed as a relevant interpretative lens to overcome the limitations of a traditional reductionist view and better understand the challenges and dynamics of post-modern social and economic dynamics.

Purpose of the paper: The purpose of this paper is to investigate companies’ approach to market relationships with the aim of highlighting the positive impact of consonance-oriented strategies of stakeholder engagement. Methodology: Building upon a VSA view (Barile et al., 2015a) of stakeholder engagement that highlights the relevance of stakeholders’ perceptions of companies’ alignment with them, exploratory research is conducted using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) with reference to a sample of stakeholders of 37 Italian Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). The aim is to verify possible relationships between companies’ ability to be perceived as aligned with stakeholders’ expectations and their market share (MS). Results: This paper offers evidence of a positive relationship between companies’ ability to be perceived as aligned with stakeholders’ expectations and their market share (MS), highlighting advantages for companies to actively embrace stakeholders’ engagement through consonance-oriented relational strategies. Research limitations: The research is conducted with reference to a non-random sample of companies. Findings herein should be verified with reference to a random sample and by adopting different qualitative and quantitative methodologies. Practical implications: The paper shows the positive impact on performances of companies’ capabilities to establish consonant relationships with their stakeholders in order to be perceived as aligned with their expectations. Originality of the paper: The paper contributes to previous studies on the topic of stakeholder engagement identifying elements upon which companies may act to build effective relational strategies with the aim of improving companies’ economic performance. The study also contributes to discussion about the VSA consonance/competitiveness dilemma providing empirical evidence of effectiveness of consonance oriented strategies.

The increasing relevance of technology and its impact on our everyday life requires multi- and trans-disciplinary studies in order to investigate the ways in which the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools are affected by users’ features and by the external environment. In order to enrich existing contributions on this topic, the paper focuses its attention on the city as example of service systems, in order to investigate dimensions and dynamics that influence the city employees’ evaluation and satisfaction in the use of ICT platforms. By adopting the interpretative lens offered by Service Science and Systems Thinking, the domain of city as a service system is analysed and some hypotheses are formulated with reference to the relationships between environment, users, and ICT platform. The hypotheses are investigated through a questionnaire survey on a sample of 1032 municipalities in the Czech Republic and the results are tested using Structural Equation Modelling. The research shows that users’ features and external environment affect the evaluation and the satisfaction of city stakeholders about the use of ICT platforms by underlining the need for enlarging the study on informatics tools, in order to also include subjective variables. The findings are discussed from both theoretical and practical points of view.

In a social and economic world affected by the increasing scarcity of resources, level of competitiveness and variety, the studies on sustainability are attracting the interest of numerous researches and research streams (Cox & Blake 1991; Bretschger 2005; Porter 2011). The sustainability as science interested in the definition of the ‘better’ balance among social, economic, and environmental dynamics proposes a radical change in perspective in the way to approach and manage the world we live in (Komiyama & Takeuchi 2006; Lang et al. 2012; Barile et al. 2013a, 2013b). Along the time, different contributions have analyzed the key variable of sustainability (Clark & Dickson 2003; Kajikawa 2008; Wiek et al. 2012). In such perspective, several researchers have studied what is the impact of sustainability on companies’ and consumers’ decisions (Málovics et al. 2008; Pickett-Baker & Ozaki, 2008; Young et al., 2010), and in which way it is possible to link the companies’ economic aims with a widen perspective inclusive of the interests of future generations (Gladwin et al. 1995; Wade-Benzoni 1999; Perrini 2006; Barile et al. 2015). Despite the amazing advancements in knowledge offered by all these contributions, a shared conceptual framework on the strategies required to build common approaches to sustainability still appears to be missing (Boström 2012). In order to bridge this gap, a possible contribution is offered by the evolutions proposed by the computer science as research domain interested in the identification of more effective and effective solutions by acting on a better use of available information and resources (Omondi et al. 2007; Caputo et al. 2016a, 2016c). By analyzing recent advancements in knowledge offered by the computer science it is possible to identify their strong correlation with the principles, aims, and interests of sustainability sciences (Lazer et al. 2009; Swart et al. 2002). From a more general viewpoint, it is possible to note that the computer science’ willingness to build smart world is addressing the society towards more sustainable lifestyles by tracing a wider conceptual framework in which the boundaries among the disciplinary domains dissolve themselves and a common pathway based on the weaving between sustainability and technology is emerging (Elzen et al. 2004). As a consequence of this contamination, a more interconnected and information based society is emerging and new interpretative approaches are requesting to face new challenges (Castells 2011; Caputo & Walletzký 2017). With the aim to contribute to the amazing debate on the interconnections among sustainability and technology, the paper focuses the attention on the topic of Smart Grid as an example of technological innovation useful in supporting the achievement of sustainability aims (Nidumolu et al. 2009). In such a line, Smart Grids are analyzed as systems able to connect several actors by supporting more efficient information sharing direct to ensure a sustainable use of the available resources (Giordano et al. 2011; Momoh 2012). In order to enlarge previous contributions offered on the topic of Smart Grid, the paper builds upon the conceptual framework offered by System Thinking (Von Bertalanffy 1968; Emery 1981; Bogdanov 1989; Golinelli 2010; Barile & Saviano 2011; Barile 2013; Basile & Caputo 2017) and Cybernetics (Wiener 1948, 1961; Ashby 1956; Beer 1960). In this perspective, the utility of Smart Grid in supporting the survival of a community by acting on a dynamic and fast adaptation of providing system to the users’ needs is ana, and the implications for collectivity in the light of sustainability are discussed.

PurposePoverty, hunger, inequalities, diseases, unsustainable use of resources, etc., in spite of scientific progress, still remains unsolved worldwide issues. All these issues relate to the challenges of sustainability and sustainable development that now call for urgent answers. The purpose of this paper is to explore how the service research community can respond to this call and to identify key areas of potential contribution.Design/methodology/approachAfter a brief review of selected service literature aimed at exploring its interest in the topics of sustainability and sustainable development, the authors develop the interpretative proposal identifying the key requirements of a global engagement in the challenge of sustainability and sustainable development and highlighting the potential contribution of service research.FindingsFindings highlight the potential contribution of service research to the global challenge of sustainability and suggest acting upon education by considering the “T-Shaped” professional model as a possible reference for embedding sustainability in the education of future managers and addressing the need of interdisciplinary thinking through the systems approach.Research limitations/implicationsThe proposed study of service literature is only an exploratory analysis of main contributions that does not aim to identify gaps but only to highlight the potential of a greater engagement of service research in the global call for a more sustainable and inclusive development.Practical implicationsA trans-disciplinary approach is also required. This implies the involvement of the business and the social real world.Originality/valueThis paper represents a novel call for engaging the service research community in a boundary-crossing collaboration with the aim of contributing to address the challenge of sustainability.

Purpose of the paper: Building upon the advancements in knowledge proposed by the research stream about the “T-shaped professional”, the paper aims to investigate the opportunities and key factors of rethinking traditional education models and programs by exploring the contribution of service research in the field of education through the interpretative lens of systems thinking. Methodology: The paper traces a wide conceptual framework rooted in systems thinking and service research with the intent of highlighting the contribution of a T-shaped view in higher education programs. The proposed conceptual arguments are then tested through the analysis of the Master’s Degree program in Service Science, Management and Engineering (SSME) of the Masaryk University in Brno (Czech Republic). Results: The paper proposes basic arguments for the development of a T-shaped model in higher education programs and empirical evidence concerning the possibility of implementing an effective T-shaped approach based on systems thinking in order to revise/rethink higher education programs. Practical implications: The paper provides a path to combine traditional hyper-specialized knowledge with more dynamic and cross-sectional capabilities in higher education programs. Originality of the paper: A wide perspective about the “T-shaped professionals” as a possible reference model in which vertical expertise is combined with horizontal capabilities and cross-sectional knowledge is proposed in the light of Systems Thinking and Service Research.

The content of this Special Issue arises from the debate promoted by the Business Systems Laboratory Symposia about the contribution of Systems Thinking in managerial and organizational dynamics and they have been selected among the ideas presented during the 4th Business Systems Laboratory International Symposium, Vilnius 2016 . As underlined in the last 5 years by the scientific community involved in the Business Systems Laboratory, we are living in an Era in which several radical transformations are emerging with reference to social, economic and territorial configurations (Basile and Dominici 2015 ; Basile, Dominici, and Tani 2016 ; Del Giudice, Caputo, and Evangelista 2016 ; Di Fatta et al. 2016 ; Di Nauta et al. 2015 ; Dominici and Levanti 2011 ; Caputo 2016 ). Traditional managerial approaches based on the application of reductionist and mechanistic view are not able to explain organizational transformations and social changes and new perspectives are needed to improve our capability in understanding and managing social and economic dynamics (Dominici 2011 , 2012 , 2014 , 2015 ; Dominici and Palumbo 2014 ; Caputo 2016 ; Caputo, Evangelista, and Russo 2016 ). With the aim to enrich previous managerial and organizational literature, this Special Issue aims to underline the relevant interpretative and managerial contributions offered by the research streams rooted on the trans and multi-disciplinary framework proposed by the System Thinking (Beer 1979 ; Checkland 1981 ; Dominici 2012 ; Espejo 1994 ; Jackson 2003 ; Yolles 1999 , 2006 ; Golinelli 2010 ; Barile et al. 2016 ). In such a line, it hosts some papers direct to underline the multiple opportunities offered by the interpretative lens proposed by the systems thinking in investigating and explaining different social and economic configurations. According to this, the order of contributions has been defined with the aim to replicate the basic logic of scientific pathways. The contributions proposed in this issue start with the description of possible applications and contributions of Systems Thinking in Social Sciences with specific reference to the ways in which organizations interact in shared networks thanks to the contribution offered by technological innovations as summarized in the first article wrote by Bernardino Quattrociocchi, Mario Calabrese, Xhimi Hysa, and Ewa Wankowicz . After this, Francesco Caputo, Federica Evangelista, Giuseppe Russo, and Barbora Buhnova point the attention on the impact of voluntary communication on systems’ ability to build efficient, effective, and sustainable conditions for survival over the time. In this contribution, the authors propose an innovative approach to voluntary communication underling its contributions in facing the challenges imposed by the information asymmetry in the digital era. In the third paper Thomas Grisold and Alexander Kaiser investigate the cognitive and behavioural patterns with the aim to build a new interpretative framework to explain the ‘ unlearning’ processes. By building upon the key concepts of systems thinking, the authors define a possible alternative explanation useful to better understand both individual and social organizations. In the fourth paper Camilo Andrés Toledo Parra, Sonia Cristina Gamboa Sarmiento, and Davide Di Fatta investigate dynamics and processes of University as social system in the light of the viable system model. This paper underlines the contributions of systems thinking in evaluating post graduate programmes and enforcing collective self-evaluation dynamics. Finally, in the last paper Roland Bardy and Philip Awekeya focus on the role of nongovernmental organizations in supporting the effective interactions and collaborations among local actors in order to achieve the common aim of development. Thanks to the empirical observations proposed in this paper, the applicative contribution of systems thinking as interpretative lens is underlined and its implications are debated with specific reference to the food production in northern Ghana. We believe that the papers in this Special Issues may offer a clear picture about the multiple applications and implications of Systems Thinking and they underline its relevant role in supporting possible future advancements in knowledge about dimensions, dynamics, and processes that affect organizational transformations and social changes.

The vibrant scenario in which companies, organisations, and institutions daily interact is underlying the increasing relevance and opportunities offered by the information and communication technologies. The world in which we live is progressively becoming a digital ecosystem in which all the interactions, relationships, and exchanges are supported by technological instruments and platforms. In this emerging scenario the topic of smart city is attracting a prominent interest of researchers and practitioners. The general approach to the smart city as 'instruments' to connect users, infrastructures, and services by using the information technologies is producing several research questions with references to the relationships among technologies, environment, and users in the next years. In order to enrich previous knowledge on this topic, the paper adopts a qualitative approach to define a wider conceptual framework for smart cities. The principal aim is to support both researchers and practitioners in better understand and manage the emerging smart and digital environment.

Purpose – Health is a fundamental populations’ need and an integral part of the socio-economic development of a country. However, it is required to explain the growing role of the private sectors in addressing various health care needs. The purpose of this paper is to analyse potential contribution, criticalities and conditions of success of public-private partnership (PPP) as a strategy to face the complexity of nationally relevant Italian and Indian service systems. Design/methodology/approach – The methodology is built upon the basis of the viable systems approach (VSA) integrated with the fundamental interpretative elements of service science and service-dominant logic to contextualize interpretation to the management of service systems benefitting from recent advances in these research fields. Findings – A VSA-based general framework of reference is built that is useful for analysing any relational context in which different aims and expectations need to be harmonized to make the collaboration effective. On the basis of this framework, first insights on Italian and Indian health care PPPs are proposed, highlighting key elements of analysis and criticalities that may challenge a positive conclusion on health care PPPs. Practical implications – The implications of the study are both theoretical and practical. From a theoretical perspective, the study contributes to the scholarly understanding of complex health care system in Italy as well as in India with particular reference to the public-private collaboration phenomenon. It also suggests theoretical approaches in the form of a generic VSA-based framework as applicable. From a practical perspective, the study stimulates managers to a critical reflection about current health care management approaches which are reflected in the adoption of PPPs solutions. Originality/value – The paper discusses relevant worldwide decision-making challenges, such as the equality in the populations’ access to health service, suggesting managers the way to create conditions of consonance among the diverse stakeholders for a successful health care PPPs.