A description of my near and long-term research interests.

1. Patricia F. Diaz | Page 1
Research Interests
Introduction
The service sector generates more than 70% of the Gross Domestic Product in advanced
economies (World FactBook, 2015). Using digital technology to stimulate service innovation is a
national research priority (Ostrom et al., 2010) and digital transformation is a business necessity
(Fitzgerald, Kruschwitz, Bonnett, & Welch, 2013). Sustained competitiveness in a global online
marketplace demands continuous, holistic, and rapid innovation of eternally fresh digital
offerings. Such intense, non-stop innovation is very difficult to achieve. Yet little is known about
how to use digital technology to conceptualize innovative digital services (Barrett, Davidson,
Prabhu, & Vargo, 2015; de Grandbois, 2014; Riedl, Leimeister, & Krcmar, 2011; Wang, Li, &
Jones, 2014). Lusch and Nambisan (2015) posited that digital artifacts (a by-product of digital
innovation) should be abstracted and recombined in a digital tool to create new innovative digital
services. Addressing this gap was the focus of my dissertation research.
Dissertation Research
I applied the grounded theory methodology in my research to construct a multidimensional
framework called the Continuous, Holistic, Radical, Recombinative Innovation Sandbox
(CHRRIS) framework. My research focused on three interdependent concepts:
 Locating and abstracting digital artifacts in the digital ecosystem and delivering the
abstracted object to a digital sandbox.
 Using a digital sandbox to mix and match (recombine) abstracted digital objects to
conceptualize new innovative digital services.
 Understanding the role of Information Technology (IT) actors throughout the process.
The CHRRIS framework, comprised of 36 propositions and six dimensions, explains how digital
by-products (digital artifacts) can be abstracted and used in a digital sandbox to conceptualize
new innovative digital offerings. Practitioners in IT consultancies and internal IT organizations
can use portions of the CHRRIS Framework to guide construction of holistic digital services for
their clients. Practitioners and academia can use the CHRRIS framework to jointly construct the
infrastructure for continuous, holistic, radical, recombinative innovation that serves global
business.
There seems to be general agreement that service innovation is dependent on three different
capabilities: sensing innovation opportunities, seizing innovation opportunities, and transforming
innovation opportunities into digital service offerings (Plattfaut et al., 2015, p. 1550038-6). The
CHRRIS framework supports seizing opportunities which involves developing, evaluating,
selecting, and detailing solutions to digital service innovation opportunities (Pöppelbuß et al.,
2011, p. 549). My research posits the CHRRIS framework as the integrating mechanism in a
service innovation system, as illustrated in Figure 1.

2. Patricia F. Diaz | Page 2
Figure 1. CHRRIS Framework as central mechanism of Service Innovation System (Sensing,
Seizing, Transforming).
My dissertation research also produced a new analytical tool, called Diaz-CIDOMA, comprised
of six dimensions, as shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2. Diaz-CIDOMA analytical tool for grounded theory studies in the field of IT.

3. Patricia F. Diaz | Page 3
CIDOMA represents the first letter of each dimension: C (Core Integrating Concept); I (Input-
Process-Output model); D (digital technology domain); O (outcome for the domain); M
(mechanism used to produce outcome in the domain); and A (IT actors’ roles involved in the
domain). The Diaz-CIDOMA tool was developed and used to organize the data and construct the
CHRRIS Framework simultaneously with theory building during theoretical integration. The
framework tool might be useful in other grounded theory studies with similar characteristics: (a)
holistic research of a technology-enabled to-be process that impacts IT actor roles, (b) technical
literature used as primary data source and line-by-line coding that produces thousands of data
segments and codes to be synthesized, and (c) a goal to create a broad conceptual framework that
provides some direction for a multidisciplinary and complex research area.
Immediate ResearchInterests
My current research interests revolve around the two key products constructed during my
dissertation research: the CHRRIS framework and the Diaz-CIDOMA grounded theory tool.
Research objectives for each research stream are outlined below.
Service Innovation System
My dissertation research constructed a grounded theory in the form of the CHRRIS framework
which proposes a holistic approach to abstracting digital artifacts for recombinative innovation
using a digital sandbox. The CHRRIS framework is central to constructing a Services Innovation
System as discussed above. Two other components (Sensing and Transforming) important to
constructing a Services Innovation System were not investigated in my dissertation research1.
Thus, my 5-year research plan is comprised of three phases:
1. Validation and Extension of the CHRRIS framework to include a working proof-
of-concept of these key elements of the infrastructure:
a. DIBBA Acquisition Mechanism2
b. DIBBA Virtual Store
c. Service Innovation System Gateway
d. CHRRIS (digital sandbox)
i. Ideation Storyboard for mixing and matching DIBBAs
ii. Innovative Digital Offering Platforms (IDOP) Incubation Process
iii. IDOP Product-Only Prototype Process
iv. Key Performance Indicators
v. Incorporating process models to capture process changes.
1 Interfaces to Business Intelligence and Software Development Tools were identified as key elements in
digital services innovation,during my original research. However, these concepts were not within the study’s scope
and excluded from the CHRRIS framework. The proposed research seeks to incorporate these concepts into an
integrated service innovation system.
2 The DIBBA Acquisition Mechanismwill search for performative digital artifacts (granular executable
code modules) in the digital ecosystem,transform the artifacts into usable DIBBAs, and deliver the DIBBAs to
DIBBA Virtual Store(s).

4. Patricia F. Diaz | Page 4
e. IT actor role specification.
f. Exploring CHRRIS implementation models.
2. Investigation of the Sensing component, using Business Intelligence to identify
service innovation opportunities to the Ideation Storyboard in CHRRIS.
3. Investigation of the Transforming component, which involves sending concept
specifications for new Innovative Digital Offering Platforms (IDOP) from
CHRRIS to a Digital Services Development Environment.
Diaz-CIDOMA Grounded Theory Tool for IT Software Studies
As explained above, I developed the Diaz-CIDOMA tool to assist in the theoretical integration
step of my grounded theory study. I plan to investigate this tool further to determine if it has
wider applicability to IT studies that investigate futuristic, technology-enabled solutions to
complex problems, where construction of a broad framework is the expected product. The Diaz-
CIDOMA tool could be useful in investigating the Sensing and Transforming components of the
Service Innovation System, because a conceptual framework for these service innovation
capabilities has not yet been constructed.
Long-term ResearchInterests
My long-term research interests revolve around how digital technology can be applied to help
provide solutions to complex societal problems such as affordable healthcare, world hunger, and
human oppression.
References
Barrett, M., Davidson, E., Prabhu, J., & Vargo, S. L. (2015). Service innovation in the digital
age: Key contributions and future directions. MIS Quarterly, 39(1), 135-154.
de Grandbois, Y. (2014). The business of service science. Business Information Review, 30,
204-209.
Fitzgerald, M., Kruschwitz, N., Bonnet, D., & Welch, M. (2013). Embracing digital technology:
A new strategic imperative. MIT Sloan Management Review, 55(2), 1-12.
Lusch, R. F., & Nambisan, S. (2015). Service innovation: A service-dominant logic perspective.
MIS Quarterly, 39(1), 155-176.
Ostrom, A. L., Bitner, M. J., Brown, S. W., Burkhard, K. A., Goul, M.,…Rabinovich, E. (2010).

5. Patricia F. Diaz | Page 5
Moving forward and making a difference: Research priorities for the science of service.
Journal of Service Research, 13(1), 4-36.
Riedl, C., Leimeister, J. M., & Krcmar, H. (2011). Why e-service development is different: A
literature review. E - Service Journal, 8(1), 2-22.
Plattfaut, R., Niehaves, B., Voigt, M., Malsbender, A., Ortbach, K., & Poeppelbuss, J. (2015).
Service innovation performance and information technology: An empirical analysis from
the dynamic capability perspective. International Journal of Innovation Management,
19(4), 1550038-1 – 1550038-24.
Pöppelbuß, J., Plattfaut, R., Ortbach, K., Malsbender, A., Voigt, M., Niehaves, B., & Becker, J.
(2011, September). Service innovation capability: Proposing a new framework. In
Computer Science and Information Systems (FedCSIS), 2011 Federated Conference.
IEEE.
Wang, S., Li, L., & Jones, J. D. (2014). Systemic thinking on service science, management and
engineering: Applications and challenges in service systems research. IEEE Systems
Journal, 8(3), 803-820.
World Factbook. (2015). The world factbook. Washington, DC: Central Intelligence Agency.