Research trajectories of Service-Dominant Logic: Emergent themes of a unifying paradigm in business and management

We describe the research trajectories associated with S-D Logic and the scholarly activity it encompasses across a breadth of disciplines by conducting a bibliometric analysis of a body of literature citing two fundamental S-D Logic publications between 2004–2014. The bibliometric analysis reveals four pertinent research trajectories: Value co-creation, Resources (incl. integration), Brands, and Innovation. These empirical findings are supported by qualitative insights and projections obtained from structured interviews with S-D Logic scholars using the Delphi method, which identifies ten research trajectories: Actors, Context, Innovation, Institutions, Markets, Resources, Service, Systems, Value co-creation, and Value propositions. The main tenets, relevant literature, and syntheses of research questions for the aforementioned research trajectories are provided. Results indicate that the scientific community is evaluating fundamental ontological and epistemological questions of S-D Logic. Emergent themes (complex and fractal phenomena, generic conceptualizations, technological innovation and democratization processes, and institutionalization practices) are discussed. The results provide insight into the development of paradigms in the managerial sciences. The delineation of the paradigm's thematic boundaries, its emergent themes, and identification of central research trajectories informs an advanced understanding of the nature of economic exchange and value creation for both practitioners and the managerial sciences, thus aiding the transdisciplinary production of knowledge.