A service-dominant logic approach requires us to stop seeing a goods vs service world where service is a poor relative to goods. And instead, embrace a service-first world where goods help us transport a service.

At first glance, this might seem that we are challenging the over 300-year old goods-dominant view of our world. But it is an evolution in thinking, acting and behaving rather than a revolution. One that requires us to stop seeing a goods vs service world and instead embrace a service-first world where goods help us transport a service.

However, they are unlikely to light up the management world. Or get the attention they need. Given the often confusing words choices, like phenomenological, or using words that have a different meaning than usual, as in the case of institutional.

Let's make service-dominant logic more approachable by doing two things:

• Group premises together into the clear "what", "who" and "how"
• Explore what the definitions really mean

We can view how the world works in two ways. Traditionally, we see a world where we exchange outputs: called goods-dominant logic. Alternately, we could see a world where we exchange how those outputs are created.

By viewing the world through service-dominant logic lens, we remove the absolute focus of goods-dominant logic’s point of exchange. Instead service is seen as the fundamental basis of exchange.

This has many impacts. Not least it encourages us to be more relational, understand value creation differently, and see additional opportunities (reduce marketing myopia, harness circular economy etc).

And that drives opportunities for innovation and growth

Though it can be challenging to switch our lens, given the predominance of goods-dominant logic we observe and are taught daily.

"Our people are our key advantage" - a phase we hear often.

With service-dominant logic we get an insight into why. And it starts with seeing that service is the application of skills and competence. And they are applied by people - a form of operant resource - resources that act on other resources to lead to value (co-)creation

But we can also see processes as operant resources (as they codify beneficial skills and competencies).

And it turns out, there is a useful hierarchy of operant resources.

The role of goods (both tangible products and intangible ones such as digital goods -eBooks, mp3s etc) needs to be seen differently different in our service-only world

No longer do we see a goods vs service divide; with the view that services are poor relatives.

Rather, we see goods enabling us to move service in time and space.

And this might seem strange, but let's consider that service can be frozen and unfrozen, and now we will see this begins to make sense