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Servitization: revisiting the state-of-the-art and research priorities

Tim Baines (The Advanced Services Group, Aston Business School, Aston University, Birmingham, UK)
Ali Ziaee Bigdeli (The Advanced Services Group, Aston Business School, Aston University, Birmingham, UK)
Oscar F. Bustinza (Department of Management, University of Granada, Granada, Spain)
Victor Guang Shi (Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK)
James Baldwin (Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK)
Keith Ridgway (Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK)

International Journal of Operations & Production Management

ISSN: 0144-3577

Article publication date: 6 February 2017

9848

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to consolidate the servitization knowledge base from an organizational change perspective, identifying developed, developing and undeveloped topics to provide a platform that directs future research.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper addresses three objectives: it comprehensively examines organizational change management literature for selection of a theoretical framework; it classifies extant studies within the framework through a systemic literature review; and it analyses 232 selected papers and proposes a research agenda.

Findings

Analysis suggests increasing global awareness of the importance of services to manufacturers. However, some topics, especially related to servitization transformation, remain undeveloped.

Research limitations/implications

Although the authors tried to include all publications relevant to servitization, some might not have been captured. Evaluation and interpretation relied on the research team and subsequent research workshops.

Practical implications

One of the most significant challenges for practitioners of servitization is how to transform a manufacturing organization to exploit the opportunity. This paper consolidates literature regarding servitization, identifying progress concerning key research topics and contributing a platform for future research. The goal is to inform research to result eventually in a roadmap for practitioners seeking to servitize.

Originality/value

Although extant reviews of servitization identify themes that are examined well, they struggle to identify unanswered questions. This paper addresses this gap by focusing on servitization as a process of organizational change.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by EPSRC Grants Ref EP/K014064/1, EP/K014072/1, EP/K014080/1 “Transforming the adoption of Product-Service Systems through innovations in applied gaming technology”; a joint project with Aston Business School, and the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, University of Sheffield.

Citation

Baines, T., Ziaee Bigdeli, A., Bustinza, O.F., Shi, V.G., Baldwin, J. and Ridgway, K. (2017), "Servitization: revisiting the state-of-the-art and research priorities", International Journal of Operations & Production Management, Vol. 37 No. 2, pp. 256-278. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOPM-06-2015-0312

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2017, Emerald Publishing Limited

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