The role of symbols in value co-creation

The research aims to explore the role of symbols in value co-creation in order to develop a deeper understanding of how actors, communicate, interact and reconcile perspectives as they integrate and exchange resources to create value for themselves and for others. We draw on a service-ecosystems approach to value co-creation and propose a conceptual framework that highlights varying views of value and articulates the way in which value co-creation results from the integration of resources and interactions among multiple entities. We argue that symbols assist actors in co-creating shared meanings that help actors make decisions regarding current and future interactions. In this way, symbols support the coordination of interaction and communication, as well as the computation or evaluation of value, among actors. We provide an empirical example of our conceptual framework as supporting evidence for the role of symbols in value co-creation, and point toward directions for future research.