Managing value co-creation in pharmacy

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the possible enablers and barriers of value co-creation processes in pharmacy, with the aim of enriching previous managerial and organisational contributions in the pharmacy management domain. Design/methodology/approach Building upon the interpretative contributions provided by the service logic and systems thinking approaches, this paper proposes a multi-disciplinary conceptual framework to analyse enablers and barriers in the value co-creation process. The findings are analysed using a semi-structured survey completed by employees involved in pharmacy management which were verified by structural equation modelling to allow us to determine the relevance of the findings in a changing social and economic environment, improve skills and capabilities and analyse competitors. Findings This paper offers an exploratory picture of the opinions of the employees involved in pharmacy management, focussing on possible enablers and barriers for value co-creation and their correlation with pharmacy revenues. Research limitations/implications The reflections and empirical research herein are the first of many studies investigating research pathways supplying both providers’ and users’ perceptions in the pharmacy domain about the value co-creation process. Practical implications The empirical evidence shows the relevance of some dimensions in defining opportunities and barriers for value co-creation process and – consequentially – pharmacy’s economic performances. Originality/value This paper combines qualitative and quantitative approaches to enrich the theoretical and practical contributions to the field of value co-creation processes.