IJOPM-09-2014-0447 Accepted version.pdf (186.65 kB)
Motivations for servitization: the impact of product complexity
journal contribution
posted on 2015-09-09, 13:54 authored by Chris Raddats, Tim Baines, Jamie Burton, Victoria StoryVictoria Story, Judy ZolkiewskiPurpose
To identify the commonalities and differences in manufacturers’ motivations to servitize.
Design/methodology/approach
UK study based on interviews with 40 managers in 25 companies in 12 sectors. Using the concept of product complexity, sectors were grouped using the Complex Products and Systems (CoPS) typology: non-complex products, complex products, and systems.
Findings
Motivations to servitize were categorised as competitive, demand-based (i.e., derived from the customer) or economic. Motivations to servitize vary according to product complexity, although cost savings and improved service quality appear important demand-based motivations for all manufacturers. Non-complex product manufacturers also focus on services to help product differentiation. For CoPS manufacturers, both risk reduction and developing a new revenue stream were important motivations. For uniquely complex product manufacturers, stabilising revenue and increased profitability were strong motivations. For uniquely systems manufacturers, customers sought business transformation, whilst new service business models were also identified. Research limitations/implications
Using the CoPS typology, this study delineates motivations to servitize by sector. The findings show varying motivations to servitize as product complexity increases, although some motivational commonality existed across all groups.
Manufacturers may have products of differing complexity within their portfolio. To overcome this limitation the unit of analysis was the SBU.
Practical implications
Managers can reflect on and benchmark their motivation for, and opportunities from, servitization, by considering product complexity.
Originality/value
The first study to categorise servitization motivations by product complexity. Identifying that some customers of systems manufacturers seek business transformation through outsourcing.
History
School
- Business and Economics
Department
- Business
Published in
International Journal of Operations & Production ManagementVolume
36Issue
5Pages
572-591Citation
RADDATS, C. ... et al, 2016. Motivations for servitization: the impact of product complexity. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 36(5), pp.572-591.Publisher
© EmeraldVersion
- AM (Accepted Manuscript)
Publisher statement
This work is made available according to the conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) licence. Full details of this licence are available at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Publication date
2016-03-08Copyright date
2016Notes
This paper was accepted for publication in the journal International Journal of Operations & Production Management and the definitive published version is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/IJOPM-09-2014-0447ISSN
0144-3577Publisher version
Language
- en