Kaisa Koskela-Huotari

I love finding similarities among phenomena and integrating them together. My research interests lie at the intersection of service-dominant logic, institutional theory, and systems thinking. In my work, I use these perspectives to learn more about change in social systems and inform the understandings of innovation, design, and market evolution.  My work has been published in Journal of Service Research, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Service Management, Journal of Services Marketing, Journal of Service Theory and Practice, Journal of Strategic Marketing and Service Science.

Current teaching assignments at Karlstad Business School:
- Course leader in ‘Marketing Strategies' course (Graduate/C-D level)
- Course leader in ‘Theory and Research in Service Management' course (Doctoral level)
- Lecturer in 'Advanced Service Management'​ course (Graduate/C-D level)
- Lecturer in 'Service Management' course (Graduate/C-D level)
- Thesis supervisor (Doctoral, Master, and Bachelor levels)

Previous teaching experience at Karlstad Business School:
- Lecturer in 'International Business Environment'​ (Undergraduate/A-B level)
- Lecturer in 'Value Creation through Service'​ course (Graduate/C-D level)
- Lecturer in 'Business Marketing'​ course (Graduate/C-D level)

International scholars with whom I collaborate include e.g. Stephen L. Vargo (University of Hawaii), Angeline Nariswari (California State University at Monterey Bay), Teea Palo (Lancaster University), Jaakko Siltaloppi (Aalto University), and Heiko Wieland (California State University at Monterey Bay).

I also have close connections to VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and several Finnish Universities.

Before joining Karlstad University, I worked 6 years at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland consulting a broad range of Finnish and international ICT companies in innovation and co-design activities.

I have a Master of Science (M.Sc.) degree in Economics and Business Administration from University of Oulu, Finland.

Publications in Refereed Journals

Vink, J., Koskela-Huotari, K., Tronvoll, B., Edvardsson, B. and Wetter-Edman, K. (2020) Service Ecosystem Design: Propositions, Process Model, and Future Research Agenda. Journal of Service Research, https://doi.org/10.1177/1094670520952537

Koskela-Huotari, K., Edvardsson, B. and Vink, J. (2020) The institutional turn in service research: Taking stock and moving forward. Journal of Services Marketing, Vol. 34, No. 3, pp. 373-387. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSM-02-2019-0101

Koskela-Huotari, K.and Siltaloppi, J. (2020) Rethinking the actor in service research: Toward a processual view of identity dynamics. Journal of Service Theory and Practice, https://doi.org/10.1108/JSTP-11-2018-0245

Vargo, S.L. and Koskela-Huotari, K. (2020) Advancing conceptual-only articles in marketing. AMS Review, Vol. 10, No. 1-2, pp. 1-5.

Edvardsson, B., Frow, P., Jaakkola, E., Keiningham, T., Koskela-Huotari, K., Mele, C., Toombs, A. (2018) Understanding how context change fosters service innovation. Journal of Service Management, Vol. 29, No. 5, pp. 932-955.

Vargo, S.L., Koskela-Huotari, K., Baron, S., Edvardsson, B., Reynoso, J. and Colurcio, M. (2017) Systems Perspective on Markets – Building a Research Agenda. Journal of Business Research, Vol. 79, pp. 260-268.

Koskela-Huotari, K., Edvardsson, B., Jonas, J.M., Sörhammar, D. and Witell, L. (2016) Innovation in service ecosystems — Breaking, making and maintaining institutionalized rules of resource integration. Journal of Business Research, Vol. 69, No. 8, pp. 2964–2971.

Koskela-Huotari, K. and Vargo, S.L. (2016) Institutions as the resource context. Journal of Service Theory and Practice, Vol. 26, No. 2, pp. 163-178. Highly Commended Paper in the 2017 Emerald Literati Network Awards for Excellence.

Siltaloppi, J., Koskela-Huotari, K. and Vargo, S.L. (2016) Institutional complexity as a driver for innovation. Service Science, Vol. 8, No. 3, 333-343. Winner of the INFORMS Service Science 2017 Best Article Award.

Wieland, H., Koskela-Huotari, K. and Vargo, S.L. (2016) Extending Actor Participation in Value Creation: An Institutional View. Journal of Strategic Marketing, Vol. 24, No. 3-4, pp. 210-226.

Book Chapters

Vargo, S.L., Koskela-Huotari, K. and Vink, J. (2020) Service-Dominant Logic: Foundations and Applications. In Bridges, E. and Fowler, K. (Eds.) The Routledge Handbook of Service Research Insights and Ideas, (p. 3-23). New York: Routledge.

Akaka, M.A., Koskela-Huotari, K. and Vargo, S.L. (2019) Further Advancing Service Science with Service-Dominant Logic: Service Ecosystems, Institutions, and their Implications for Innovation. In Maglio, P. P., Kieliszewski, C. A., Spohrer, J. C., Lyons, K., Patricio, L. and Sawatani, Y. (Eds.). Handbook of Service Science, Volume II (p. 641-659). New York: Springer.

Koskela-Huotari, K.and Vargo, S. L. (2018) Why Service-Dominant Logic? In Vargo, S. L. and Lusch, R. F. (Eds.) The SAGE Handbook of Service-Dominant Logic, (p. 40-57). London, UK: SAGE Publications Inc.

Koskela-Huotari, K., Edvardsson, B. and Tronvoll, B. (2018) Resource integration and the emergence of novel resources. In Vargo, S. L. and Lusch, R. F. (Eds.) The SAGE Handbook of Service-Dominant Logic, (p. 372-387). London, UK: SAGE Publications Inc.

Vargo, S.L., Lusch, R. and Koskela-Huotari, K. (2016) Service-Dominant Logic. In Baker, M.J. and Saren, M. (Eds.) Marketing Theory - A Student Textbook (3rd Edition), p. 458-475, SAGE Publications Inc: London, UK.

Professional service:
- Assistant Editor of AMS Review
- Ad Hoc Reviewer for Journal of Service Research, Industrial Marketing Management, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Service Theory and Practice, Marketing Theory, Service Science, The Scandinavian Journal of Management and The Service Industries Journal