Not so ‘Eco’ Service Ecosystems: Value Co-destruction Practices Affecting Vulnerable Patients in Special Transport

This study elaborates on the notion of value co-destruction when applied to complex service ecosystems of interconnected transport and healthcare services. By using a practice-theory perspective in a rich multiple-participant interview and observation study, the article shows that value creation is difficult to achieve, and that vulnerable travellers and patients can experience several problematic situations. It is argued that many crucial situations are linked to ecosystem gaps, in relation to typical practices such as booking, waiting, pick up and drop off, travelling and connecting. This article contributes by uncovering and explaining relatively non-harmonious aspects of service ecosystems, typically not imagined in contemporary value-creating service ecosystem research.