On the ontological expressiveness of conceptual modeling grammars for service productivity management

• Published in: Information systems and e-business management Vol. 12; no. 3; pp. 337 - 365
• Main Authors: Becker, Jörg, Beverungen, Daniel, Knackstedt, Ralf, Rauer, Hans Peter, Sigge, Daniel
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.08.2014; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Business and Management; Criteria; Design engineering; Grammar; Grammars; Information systems; Information Systems Applications (incl.Internet); Information technology; IT in Business; Language; Management; Measurement; Ontology; Original Article; Productivity; Quality of service; Reviewing; School faculty; Service industries; Studies; Syntax; Conceptual modeling grammar; Meta modeling; Ontology; Service Science Management and Engineering; Service productivity
• ISSN: 1617-9846; 1617-9854
• DOI: 10.1007/s10257-013-0219-y

Conceptualizing, analyzing, and optimizing service productivity is imperative to build up and to sustain competitive advantage in today’s global service economy. However, service productivity is yet to be thoroughly conceptualized and supported by IT artifacts so as to design, compute, and interpret meaningful productivity models. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the ontological expressiveness of conceptual modeling grammars for service productivity management. Due to a lack of a complete ontology for service productivity management, we compile evaluation criteria by reviewing authoritative theory. Against these criteria, a selection of conceptual modeling grammars is analyzed by reviewing the grammars’ meta models for completeness. The analysis contributes two major insights. First, theory in productivity management appears equivocal and is too unspecific to guide the design of IT artifacts. Second, conceptual modeling grammars are subject to various ontological deficiencies with respect to service productivity management. Two core implications are identified. First, service productivity theories need to be refined as design theories in order to comprehensively inform the design of IT artifacts. Second, conceptual modeling grammars must be extended and aligned with each other.