Help to Self-help? A Service-Dominant Perspective on the Forest Owners’ Own Institutions

Abstract

Cooperation between forest owners can be beneficial for the forest owners as well as for the forest landscape. Forest owners might share resources and knowledge while the forest landscape might benefit from an overall view on forest management. In many countries, forest owners’ associations have been formed to facilitate such cooperation. Yet most forest owners have been reluctant to join such institutions in many countries. Common in the arguments for not joining is that the services offered by the associations are not appealing. This is in particular the case for forest owners with small properties, absentee owners and owners with limited forestry knowledge. The associations often engage forest owners who are already active. Other forest owners’ institutions such as clubs and study circles focus on peer-to-peer learning. Participants in these activities are very positive about the help they can get from peers, but here also it is unclear if these activities reach forest owners who have been difficult to reach. Important in the co-creation of value is the need for trust. Trust is a complex concept that is built on credibility and benevolence; however, many companies, as well as forest owners it seems, only consider credibility when defining trust. In the service dominant logic, both aspects are central for true value co-creation. Marketing studies in other sectors have shown that many organizations do not contemplate how trust is formed in business relations.