Chris Raddats
University of Liverpool, Marketing, Faculty Member
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Servitization: A contemporary thematic review of four major research streams Web appendix Relevant literature was identified through undertaking a keyword search, based on the research team's knowledge of the topic (Transfield et al.,... more
Servitization: A contemporary thematic review of four major research streams Web appendix Relevant literature was identified through undertaking a keyword search, based on the research team's knowledge of the topic (Transfield et al., 2003). The following terms were used: 'after-sales services', 'industrial services', 'product-related services', 'product-service system', 'servitization', 'servitisation' 'servicification', 'service infusion', 'solutions' and 'transition from product to services.' To conduct the search, the Scopus database was used, using title, abstract and keyword fields, searching the 'Business, Management & Accounting' subject area. Transfield et al. (2003) note the importance of only including work that meets all the inclusion criteria and which manifests none of the exclusion criteria. For this study, four criteria were applied. First, research fully published between January 2005 and December 2017 (inclusive) was selected to ensure that the review was both contemporary and comprehensive, since it is within this period that most papers have been published (Baines et al., 2017). Second, papers were selected in journals which were in the Academic Journal Guide (AJG) , thereby excluding journals from other disciplines and books/conference papers. Third, papers were published in journals ranked at least 2* by the AJG to ensure that only work that met a high quality threshold was included (according to the AJG, journals ranked 2* and above publish original research). Fourth, papers were selected that focused on manufacturers' services and solutions, as the term 'solution', in particular, is sometimes used in other contexts. 272 papers provisionally met these search criteria and were retrieved, and two of the research team then read the abstracts of these papers. As Transfield et al. (2003) find, decisions regarding inclusion and exclusion remain relatively subjective and when an abstract was ambiguous (in terms of what the paper was about), the full paper was read by the research team members [...]
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Radical and incremental service innovation in manufacturers: The impact of customer involvement
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Research Interests: Business and Offshoring
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Research Interests: Business and Engineering
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Manufacturers face a number of challenges in implementing servitisation. This chapter on ‘servitisation practices’ explores how to overcome these challenges by aligning responses to different service strategies. A service strategy and... more
Manufacturers face a number of challenges in implementing servitisation. This chapter on ‘servitisation practices’ explores how to overcome these challenges by aligning responses to different service strategies. A service strategy and challenge road map is presented, which includes four challenges: (1) interpret the market environment, (2) reorientate from products to services, (3) undertake a structural reorganisation and (4) develop service-related operational processes. Responses to these challenges are presented in line with four service strategies, based on increasing ‘enthusiasm’ for services (Conservative, Pragmatist, Restrained Enthusiast, Enthusiast). Manufacturers need to respond sequentially to the specific challenges they face when following a particular service strategy.
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PurposeDigital servitization concerns how manufacturers utilize digital technologies to enhance their provision of services. Although digital servitization requires that manufacturers possess new capabilities, in contrast to strategic (or... more
PurposeDigital servitization concerns how manufacturers utilize digital technologies to enhance their provision of services. Although digital servitization requires that manufacturers possess new capabilities, in contrast to strategic (or dynamic) capabilities, little is known about how they develop the required operational capabilities. The paper investigates the mechanisms for developing operational capabilities in digital servitization.Design/methodology/approachThis paper presents an exploratory study based on 15 large manufacturers operating in Europe engaged in digital servitization.FindingsThree operational capability development mechanisms are set out that manufacturers use to facilitate digital servitization: learning (developing capabilities in-house), building (bringing the requisite capabilities into the manufacturer), and acquiring (utilizing the capabilities of other actors). These mechanisms emphasize exploitation and exploration efforts within manufacturers and in co...
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Purpose: To understand the tensions that servitization activities create between actors within networks. Design/methodology/approach: Interviews were conducted with manufacturers, intermediaries and customers across a range of industrial... more
Purpose: To understand the tensions that servitization activities create between actors within networks. Design/methodology/approach: Interviews were conducted with manufacturers, intermediaries and customers across a range of industrial sectors. Findings: Tensions relating to two key sets of capabilities are identified: in developing or acquiring (i) operant technical expertise and (ii) operand service infrastructure. The former tension concerns whom knowledge is co-created with and where expertise resides. The latter involves a territorial investment component; firms developing strategies to acquire greater access to, or ownership of, infrastructures closer to customers. Developing and acquiring these capabilities is a strategic decision on the part of managers of servitizing firms, in order to gain recognized power and control in a particular territory. Originality/value: This paper explores how firms’ servitization activities involve value appropriation (from the rest of the net...
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Research Interests: Business, Marketing, Services Marketing and Management, Product Service System, Marketing Strategy, and 15 moreBusiness to Business Marketing, Cluster Analysis (Multivariate Data Analysis), Marketing Management, Strategic Marketing, Service Marketing, Strategy, Integrated Product Services System (IPSS), Business and Management, Services Marketing, Industrial marketing, Servitization, Business Marketing, Business Plans & Marketing Strategy, Service Infusion, and Manufacturer
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the resources and capabilities required by manufacturers to develop and deliver multi-vendor solutions. Design/methodology/approach – A multi-case design comprising six UK-based... more
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the resources and capabilities required by manufacturers to develop and deliver multi-vendor solutions. Design/methodology/approach – A multi-case design comprising six UK-based manufacturers: two from each of the aerospace/defence, information technology and telecommunications sectors. Findings – Manufacturers can be characterized by their propensity to include products from other vendors in their solutions; single vendor solution providers (SVSPs) focus on solutions comprising their own products, while multi-vendor solution providers (MVSPs) fully embrace products from other manufacturers. Three capabilities were identified which distinguish MVSPs from SVSPs given the complexity of multi-vendor solutions (expertise specifying the solution, engineers trained in implementing/supporting the solution, partnerships with component suppliers of the solution). These capabilities are underpinned by both technical capability and impartia...
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Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate which resources and capabilities are most important to enable large manufacturers undergoing servitization to develop and deliver successful services. Design/methodology/approach – A... more
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate which resources and capabilities are most important to enable large manufacturers undergoing servitization to develop and deliver successful services. Design/methodology/approach – A survey of 155 UK-based manufacturers provided the basis for the study. Data analysis was undertaken using confirmatory factor analysis and multiple regression. Findings – In total, five constructs (“resource configurations”) which enable the development and delivery of successful services and a construct to measure services performance (“Success of Services”) were developed from the literature. A measurement model based on these constructs was empirically tested and verified. Two resource configurations; “Leaders and Services Personnel” and “Services Methods and Tools” were found to make a unique and statistically significant contribution to “Success of Services.” Research limitations/implications – The study highlights the importance of corporates l...
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Purpose: Multiple studies identify servitization challenges and some explore firm responses to them. These challenges appear difficult for manufacturers to overcome; possibly because servitization is a complex change process/journey with... more
Purpose: Multiple studies identify servitization challenges and some explore firm responses to them. These challenges appear difficult for manufacturers to overcome; possibly because servitization is a complex change process/journey with multiple business logics and trajectories. Four main types of servitization challenge (and responses) are recognised in the literature, and work has explored many of these challenges in more detail, but without necessarily exploring whether the challenges are interconnected. This paper explores the inter-relationships between servitization challenges, identifying a sequential series of challenges and the responses adopted to overcome these challenges. Design/Methodology/Approach: We use a case study methodology, exploring four manufacturer’s servitization processes, associated challenges and responses. Findings: We find that manufacturers face layered challenges, that they appear to solve in order. As manufacturers overcame the first challenge they ...
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Purpose: The aim of the study is to provide insight into the competences and management of manufacturers’ salespeople selling advanced services and hybrid offerings Design/Methodology/Approach: An exploratory research design was adopted,... more
Purpose: The aim of the study is to provide insight into the competences and management of manufacturers’ salespeople selling advanced services and hybrid offerings Design/Methodology/Approach: An exploratory research design was adopted, using interview data from sales managers in seven firms in the Information & Communication Technology (ICT) sector Findings: Five competences and management practices were identified: salespeople’s knowledge; creation of productised offerings; adaptive selling; teamwork/internal networking; sales control/reward systems. Originality/Value: Sales is one of the key challenges for manufacturers looking to become more servitized. This study extends and refines previous research in this field by identifying a number of competences and management practices required by manufacturers to enable the salesforce to become more effective at selling advanced services and hybrid offerings.
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Article history: Received 25 March 2015 Received in revised form 29 January 2016 Accepted 23 April 2016 Available online xxxx Servitization involvesmanufacturers developing service offerings to grow revenue and profit. Advanced services,... more
Article history: Received 25 March 2015 Received in revised form 29 January 2016 Accepted 23 April 2016 Available online xxxx Servitization involvesmanufacturers developing service offerings to grow revenue and profit. Advanced services, in particular, can facilitate a more service-focused organization and impact customers' business processes significantly. However, approaches to servitization are often discussed solely from the manufacturer's perspective; overlooking the role of other network actors. Adopting a multi-actor perspective, this study investigates manufacturer, intermediary and customer perspectives to identify complementary and competing capabilities within a manufacturer's downstream network, required for advanced services. Interviews were conducted with 24 senior executives in 19 UK-based manufacturers, intermediaries and customers across multiple sectors. The study identified six key business activities, within which advanced services capabilities were g...
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Purpose 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... more
Purpose 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. Fo...