guest article by Jay Kandampully
Solving problems is the fundamental essence of ‘service.’ If we are not solving problems, we are not in ‘service.’ It is a well-known fact that the majority of research emanates from a small number of countries, with most of the advancing economies continuing to lag behind – and, not only in the service discipline. As depicted in the following graph, authors of manuscripts published in the Journal of Service Management (JOSM) stem predominantly from 6 countries. This is obviously a long-term problem, not in terms of our individual achievement, but with regards to our ability to successfully elevate ‘service’ to a global discipline.
Top authorship by Country (The following chart shows the top 6 Countries of authorship)
Achieving success can essentially be perceived as a wish to be seen as significant, both by and to society. It can, therefore, be argued that the success of our discipline depends on societal and global recognition, and can be measured by how many lives we have been able to improve. There is a clear need for the service community to understand the importance of co-creation of the service discipline in terms of participation from all corners of the globe. The obvious byproduct of ‘service’ is gaining pleasure from the feeling of having contributed. In this sense, the service discipline and those involved in it are ideally suited to the concept of mentorship.
Doing well and doing good are not mutually exclusive; in fact, it is typically considered a core belief of our discipline, something that we teach and write about. As teachers and researchers, we demonstrate commitment and contribution to our field in a variety of ways. I would like to bring to your attention one such way that we can impact our field; namely, by contributing to the younger generation of researchers/scholars and teachers in advancing countries. The knowledge that we acquire over the years will eventually perish with us. Hence, it is my personal goal to find ways to pass on this vast wealth of knowledge that we all possess to young scholars around the world. Some of you know of my involvement with IRSSM and its role in helping to promote service research in advancing economies. During the now eight years that I and some of our colleagues have been involved with IRSSM (IRSSM-8 will be held this year in South Korea www.irssm8atyonsei.com), we count ourselves as fortunate to have witnessed the development of these young scholars.
I am therefore writing to invite you to serve as a research mentor for one young scholar in an advancing country, in any one year. Your knowledge, expertise, and support can help to change a person’s life forever. So, if you feel comfortable supporting one young scholar’s future in this way, please let me know.
You may also know of friends who are currently taking a less active role in academic life, due to retirement or for other reasons. I would be grateful if you could pass this email on to them, or anyone else you think may be interested in contributing their expertise in this way.
Many thanks and best regards,
Professor Jay Kandampully
Editor – Journal of Service Management
Chair: SERI -Initiative and IRSSM
The Ohio State University
P.S.: The next IRSSM conference will be in Seoul. More information here
Thank you everyone for your encouragement. Please pass on this information to those whom you know, particularly those young researchers who would benefit from this mentorship program.
Many thanks – Jay