Cross sector partnerships in the development of sustainable service ecosystems

Investigating the broad concept of sustainability, also in light of Agenda 2030, results in a complex and multi-actor ecosystem made up of different actors, behaviors, institutions, and interactions. Sustainability implies the interdependence of economic, social, and environmental dimensions at different levels: this interdependence requires the focus not only on firms and producers but also on the whole ecosystem to consider who are the actors, how they interact and for what purpose, and the role of policymakers. In this context, cross-sector partnerships are key components of sustainable development involving different actors in sustainable market shaping. Adopting a service-dominant perspective and considering all the actors as resource integrators in this study we focus attention on the role of cross-sector partnerships in the development of a sustainable service ecosystem. The aim of the paper, that adopts a qualitative methodology, is twofold: (1) to investigate the evolution of the cross-sector partnerships in pursuing sustainable objectives and their role in the development of a sustainable service ecosystem; (2) to recognize tensions arising in the service ecosystem when actors with different worldviews and behaviors interact and to understand how actors try to solve the different tensions through institutional arrangements.