A method for specifying the behavior of autonomous and collaborative automation devices in manufacturing plants with a service-oriented architecture and to a service-oriented automation device. In order to describe the operating behavior of such devices, the invention proposes the steps of original setting-up of the automation device, including configuration, depiction of services, establishment of connections to other automation devices and transfer of the set-up to waiting original status, receiving the events through service operations, internal device interfaces of inputs/outputs and/or generated directly from the controls, evaluating the received events, executing the events and changing the state of the model-based middleware shell, wherein the system achieves the next state and is capable of receiving further events.