Identifying drivers of exclusion in service ecosystems

Improvements to actor wellbeing through service inclusion requires an in-depth understanding of the drivers underpinning service exclusion and how these drivers come together to cause service exclusion across different contexts. Using the education service ecosystem as a research context, this study explores the drivers underlying service exclusion and its impact on underrepresented service users. Semi-structured in-depth interviews with a phenomenological approach to interviewing were conducted to collect data from parents of underrepresented service users, i.e., students-with-disability. Preliminary findings reveal four different types of drivers of service exclusion, viz. market-facing, belongingness-based, equality-based, and equity-based. Findings advance service theory by offering insights into the drivers underpinning service exclusion and therefore, ‘how’ organizations can practice service inclusion. Managerial implications entail insights into alleviating exclusionary experiences encountered by underrepresented service users like students-with-disability in the education service ecosystem.