PhD course on Technological Practices and Innovation in Services Roskilde University, Roskilde Denmark May 3-5 2001 Purpose The purpose of this cross-disciplinary course for PhD students is to discuss recent research on the implications of new technology in services in relation to innovation. The course will take account of different ways to understand and conceptualise services, including economics and sociological perspectives. We are interested in all kinds of services, but will pay special attention to three areas: manual services (e.g. cleaning, repairing, catering etc.), social services, and knowledge intensive services. The course will, among other things, emphasise different attempts to understand the roles that employees can undertake in services in the context of technological changes. First and foremost we want participants to focus on the concept of strategy as a starting point for understanding how actors cope with technological change. We think strategy-making and “strategic reflexivity” can be central categories in understanding how new roles and identities are shaped in services. One assumption behind the course will be that services have become more complex in the sense that they are more differentiated and tied into multiple networks of mutual obligations. The new interdependencies, including intersectorial interdependencies, are to some extent enabled by the new technologies, particularly information and communication technologies (ICT). By using such new technologies and through other initiatives as well, services become closely attached to other complementary services. In many situations, it becomes difficult, at least for the customer or client, to distinguish one service from another. Rather, what matters is the overall service process and the co-ordination among services. One example is the mutual co-ordination of social services within districts. This implies, on the other hand, that service activities have to be better “programmed” in relation to each other. Various kinds of strategic programming becomes more important for the service organisation, where the organisation seeks to ensure a role for itself by attempting to define and redefine the “scene” of services as well as the overall service flow. Given these changes Intellectual Property Right is still one, but not the only solution to the appropriability problems of the firm. In addition, firms create new roles, for example management roles and system-builders, in order to deal with these matters. The course will particularly focus on the application of ICT in services and innovation. Questions such as the following will be examined: What environment does ICT provide for service development? How is ICT used to introduce new forms of communication and new “common languages” in services? How does the single service organisation master this situation? Broader issues will also be addressed such as the applicability of “services” approaches to all sectors (since all have service elements) and how services contribute to other sectors. Program The course will be divided into four themes. In each theme there will be lectures followed by discussions in which the theme of the lecture will be related to the PhD students’ projects. Further, the PhD students’ projects will be thoroughly discussed in separate sessions by the teachers and fellow students. The PhD students must deliver a paper which describes a central issue from their PhD thesis. Thursday 3 May Theme 1: Innovation processes in services Is it possible to develop a general theory of service development? 13.00-14.30 Associate professor Faïz Gallouj, University of Lille 1: Models of innovation in services 14.30-16.00 Professor Jon Sundbo, Roskilde university: Strategic reflexivity as a concept to understand innovation in services 16.00-18.00 Discussion of PhD students’ projects 19.00-20.30 Research director Johan Hauknes, STEP-group Oslo: Services in innovation – innovation in service. Results from a European project 20.30-22.00 Professor Jan Mattsson, Roskilde university: External actors and innovation in service firms: The importance of networks and drawers Friday 4 May Theme 2: ICT in services How does ICT apply to services? Through what strategies are they applied and appropriated? What is the role of Intellectual Property Right in the design of new ICT-based services? 9.00-10.30 Professor Ian Miles, University of Manchester (PREST/CRIC): ICT and innovation systems in knowledge services 10.30-12.00 Associate professor Faridah Djellal, University of Lille 1: ICT in manual services 13.00-15.00 Discussion of PhD students’ projects Theme 3: Competencies in services What new competencies are required of participants to undertake what new roles in services? What new “informational service activities” are introduced? 15.00-16.30 Professor Jacques De Bandt, LARAPSES/IDEFI, CNRS, France: Employment and skills in services and a new paradigm in economic theory 16.30-18.00 Professor Sven Illeris, Roskilde university: Structure of and mobility in the service labour market 19.30-21.30 Discussion of PhD students’ projects Saturday 5 May Theme 4: Changes in social and public services What new roles are created in social and public services? How are these services tied together in a new context? 9.00-10.30 Associate professor Birgit Jæger, Roskilde university: Development of social services and ICT 10.30-12.00 Associate professor Lars Fuglsang, Roskilde university: Leadership and new roles in social services 13.00-14.30 Associate professors Izaskun Igeregi and Mikel Olazaran, University of the Basque Country and Katrin Simon, University of Navarra, Spain: : Innovation and IT in the health care service of the Basque region 14.30-16.30 Discussion of PhD students’ projects Place The course will take place in a hotel in Zealand (the island where Copenhagen is situated). The exact place will be communicated 1 April. Participation The course is open to all PhD students within social sciences (including business administration) from Denmark and other countries. Participation is free. The course is based on active involvement of the PhD students’ projects and active participation. The PhD student must deliver a paper of 15-20 pages from their project before 15 April. It may be a description of the project or an article/a chapter. The papers will be commented by the teachers. The PhD students will also be asked to be opponent on two other papers. The participants will receive a compendium with articles and the PhD papers about 15 April. The course is part of the activities within the European NECSTS network (Net of European Centres in Science and Technology Studies), but all PhD students are invited. Application Application including name, affiliation, adress, e-mail adress and tentative title of the paper must be sent before 1 April to one of the two members of the Organization Committe, by post, e-mail or fax. Organization Committee Professor Jon Sundbo, Department of social sciences, Roskilde university, PO Box 260, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark, tel. +45 46742161, fax +45 46743081, e-mail: [log in to unmask] and Associate Professor Lars Fuglsang, Department of social sciences, Roskilde university, PO Box 260, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark, tel. +45 46742165, fax +45 46743081, e-mail: [log in to unmask] Web page The program will be updated at http://www.ssc.ruc.dk/undervisning/phdseminarer.html ************************************************************************************ Distributed through Cyber-Society-Live [CSL]: CSL is a moderated discussion list made up of people who are interested in the interdisciplinary academic study of Cyber Society in all its manifestations.To join the list please visit: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/cyber-society-live.html *************************************************************************************