Service
This column marks my 10th and last editorial as editor-in-chief of Service Science. My six years serving the INFORMS and service science communities in this role are nearly done. Looking over those prior editorials, I was struck by the number of them that elaborate or touch on the definition of “service”—five of nine explicitly define “service,” and three of these contain substantial discussion on the nature of service, for instance, “Service comprises activities and technologies that create value through interaction of multiple stakeholders, often incorporating information and technology to enhance or enable effective human action and interaction,” emphasizing that value results out of interactions among people, organizations, and technology sharing capabilities with one another. Service science is the interdisciplinary study of these kinds of value-creation activities.
Looking at it now, I am a little embarrassed to say that I have neglected another sense of service: the one that refers simply to doing good for others. It is not inconsistent with my definition, but this idea of the greater good is not emphasized either. One can serve in the army, in congress, on the INFORMS board of directors, and so on. In these roles, individuals share their capabilities and skills, interact with others, and aim ultimately to create mutual value in their particular settings. But there is also something selfless about many of these types of service; it is more about benefitting others or benefitting the community than benefitting oneself. This aspect of service—as public service, community service—has not been emphasized in the journal. Yet service science, the field, and Service Science, the journal, both depend on the service of many people and organizations; the journal could not function without the dedicated service of reviewers, editors, and many others.
When we think of service, we should also think of doing good—not abstractly, as in creating more mutual value, but practically in our communities and for others.
Service Science has published 230 research articles since its first issue in 2009, 10 years ago. In 2018, Service Science published 29 research articles, including 10 in a special issue, “Advancing Health Services,” edited by Lisa Maillart and Maria Mayorga in September. The submission rate and the acceptance rate are steady, and according to Journal Citation Reports, the impact factor remains over one. Average time to first action is under three months, and average time to final decision is under four months. The journal’s three area editors—Sriram Dasu (customer-centered service), Lisa Maillart (healthcare applications), and Seyed Iravani (service operations management)—and I relied on the service of many volunteer reviewers and editorial board members. All 2018 reviewers are listed in this issue along with the current advisory and editorial board members. We also benefitted greatly from the dedicated staff in the INFORMS publication office, especially Kelly Kophazi, our managing editor; Meaghan Maegerle, our production editor; and Matthew Walls, INFORMS publications director. Service Science is the official journal of the INFORMS Service Science Section, whose leadership has always been very supportive over the years. We thank all involved for their dedication, their efforts, and their continued service in support of the journal.
Service Science will get a new editor-in-chief, Saif Benjaafar, on January 1, 2019. I have no doubt he will serve the INFORMS and service science communities well, shepherding the journal and the field toward the future. I can’t wait to see where the journal goes, and I can’t wait to serve the INFORMS and service science communities in new ways.
