Existing fsQCA studies in servitization literature
| Study | Research question/purpose | Key analyzed conditions | Literature base and data | Key findings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ordanini et al. (2014) | Which new service attributes and coproduction requirements lead to new service adoption? | New service attributes (relative advantage, complexity, meaningfulness, and novelty); co-production requirements (high, moderate, low) | Service design, customer participation Luxury hotel context, 300 participants, survey/interviews | Three distinct configurations can stimulate service adoption, with relative advantage being a necessary condition. In addition, new service adoption can be induced when a new service is perceived as (1) non-complex and involving a high degree of coproduction; (2) novel but requiring low coproduction effort; or (3) both novel and meaningful, irrespective of the amount of coproduction required |
| Sjödin et al. (2016) | To identify and explain capability configurations for advanced services offerings in manufacturing firms | Service development, mass service customization, network management and digitalization capabilities (high/low) | Resources and capabilities Survey of 131 manufacturing firms | Identifies four capability configurations that enable advanced service offerings in manufacturing companies, including (1) high mass service customization, digitalization, and network capabilities; (2) high digitalization and service development, but low network management capabilities; (3) high mass service customization and low network management and digitalization capabilities; and (4) high service development and network management, but low mass service customization and digitalization capabilities |
| Böhm et al. (2017) | Whether a healthy financial situation is a necessary requirement for a successful service transition | Strategy (service emphasis), resources (financial situation; firm size) and knowledge sources (customer links; supplier links) | Strategic change Survey of 294 firms in the mechanical engineering industry | Identifies three configurations for successful service transitions with large firm size identified as a necessary condition. In addition (1) a healthy financial situation and strong customer links, (2) healthy financial situation; strong customer links; strong supplier links or (3) deteriorating financial situation; weak customer links; strong supplier links induce healthy financial outcomes from servitization |
| Forkman et al. (2017) | To understand driver configurations for successful service infusion | Service offering (SSP/SSC), service infusion process (radical/incremental), service pricing (price de-bundling), supplier service capabilities (internal/external) | Service infusion, business model theory Interviews with 94 suppliers and 43 customers across 25 business relationships | Identifies three different configurations for supplier, four different configurations for customer, and five different configurations for dyadic service infusion value |
| Ambroise et al. (2018) | Which combinations of servitization strategies and customer-oriented organizational designs improve the manufacturer's profitability | Servitization strategy (added services, activities/business model reconfiguration) customer-oriented organizational design (service culture, customer interface and service delivery system) | Organizational design Survey of 184 SMEs in a manufacturing industry | Added service strategy does not need complex customer-oriented organizational design, activity reconfiguration strategy needs a strong service delivery system and business model reconfiguration strategy needs a robust service culture |
| Bustinza et al. (2019) | Make-or-buy configurational approaches in product-service ecosystems and performance | Base services (service parts, warranty contracts), intermediate services (cost-plus service contracts, maintenance contracts), advanced services (value-added services) | Survey of 370 manufacturing firms in seven industries | Identifies industry-specific configurations for optimal boundary conditions. Only the configuration where base and intermediate services are outsourced and advanced services developed in-house maximizes business and organizational performance in all sectors |
| Sjödin et al. (2019) | How providers govern customer relationships to realize profits through servitization | Service innovation, perceived switching costs, attractiveness of alternatives and explicit contracts | Governance strategies Survey of 50 advanced service providers | Identifies three configurations of relational governance strategies that lead to superior financial performance by advanced service providers. High service innovation is a necessary condition present across all effective configurations. In addition, (1) low attractiveness of alternatives and low use of explicit contracts; (2) high perceived switching costs and low use of explicit contracts; or (3) low perceived switching costs, high attractiveness of alternatives and high use of explicit contracts drive financial performance in servitization |
| Lexutt (2020) | What are potential different roads to servitization success (both financial and nonfinancial)? | Strategy (SSP or SSC offering), structure (decentralization or centralization), leadership (management commitment to service business), culture (service orientation) | Servitization success Survey of 143 firms in the manufacturing sector | Across the effective configurations, the three necessary conditions are decentralization, management commitment and service orientation of corporate culture. In addition (1) a limited offering of SSC, regardless of structure or the offering of SSP; or (2) a product-oriented service offering, regardless of structure or the offering of SSC or (3) a separate service organization, regardless of the offering of SSP or SSC drive servitization success |
| Salonen et al. (2021) | How a product-focused salesforce can be engaged in solution selling | Salesperson-level conditions (solution experience, value-based selling, solution risk perception); organizational-level conditions (management's communication of role expectations and training; solution champions' market-shaping behavior) | Salesforce transformation Multilevel survey with a single supplier, including 184 salespeople, 23 solution champions and 26 sales managers | Identifies five different configurations that result in solution-selling engagement; value-based selling is the only necessary condition in all configurations, while other conditions can be present or absent depending on situational fit |
| Study | Research question/purpose | Key analyzed conditions | Literature base and data | Key findings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Which new service attributes and coproduction requirements lead to new service adoption? | New service attributes (relative advantage, complexity, meaningfulness, and novelty); co-production requirements (high, moderate, low) | Service design, customer participation | Three distinct configurations can stimulate service adoption, with relative advantage being a necessary condition. In addition, new service adoption can be induced when a new service is perceived as (1) non-complex and involving a high degree of coproduction; (2) novel but requiring low coproduction effort; or (3) both novel and meaningful, irrespective of the amount of coproduction required | |
| To identify and explain capability configurations for advanced services offerings in manufacturing firms | Service development, mass service customization, network management and digitalization capabilities (high/low) | Resources and capabilities | Identifies four capability configurations that enable advanced service offerings in manufacturing companies, including (1) high mass service customization, digitalization, and network capabilities; (2) high digitalization and service development, but low network management capabilities; (3) high mass service customization and low network management and digitalization capabilities; and (4) high service development and network management, but low mass service customization and digitalization capabilities | |
| Whether a healthy financial situation is a necessary requirement for a successful service transition | Strategy (service emphasis), resources (financial situation; firm size) and knowledge sources (customer links; supplier links) | Strategic change | Identifies three configurations for successful service transitions with large firm size identified as a necessary condition. In addition (1) a healthy financial situation and strong customer links, (2) healthy financial situation; strong customer links; strong supplier links or (3) deteriorating financial situation; weak customer links; strong supplier links induce healthy financial outcomes from servitization | |
| To understand driver configurations for successful service infusion | Service offering (SSP/SSC), service infusion process (radical/incremental), service pricing (price de-bundling), supplier service capabilities (internal/external) | Service infusion, business model theory | Identifies three different configurations for supplier, four different configurations for customer, and five different configurations for dyadic service infusion value | |
| Which combinations of servitization strategies and customer-oriented organizational designs improve the manufacturer's profitability | Servitization strategy (added services, activities/business model reconfiguration) customer-oriented organizational design (service culture, customer interface and service delivery system) | Organizational design | Added service strategy does not need complex customer-oriented organizational design, activity reconfiguration strategy needs a strong service delivery system and business model reconfiguration strategy needs a robust service culture | |
| Make-or-buy configurational approaches in product-service ecosystems and performance | Base services (service parts, warranty contracts), intermediate services (cost-plus service contracts, maintenance contracts), advanced services (value-added services) | Survey of 370 manufacturing firms in seven industries | Identifies industry-specific configurations for optimal boundary conditions. Only the configuration where base and intermediate services are outsourced and advanced services developed in-house maximizes business and organizational performance in all sectors | |
| How providers govern customer relationships to realize profits through servitization | Service innovation, perceived switching costs, attractiveness of alternatives and explicit contracts | Governance strategies | Identifies three configurations of relational governance strategies that lead to superior financial performance by advanced service providers. High service innovation is a necessary condition present across all effective configurations. In addition, (1) low attractiveness of alternatives and low use of explicit contracts; (2) high perceived switching costs and low use of explicit contracts; or (3) low perceived switching costs, high attractiveness of alternatives and high use of explicit contracts drive financial performance in servitization | |
| What are potential different roads to servitization success (both financial and nonfinancial)? | Strategy (SSP or SSC offering), structure (decentralization or centralization), leadership (management commitment to service business), culture (service orientation) | Servitization success | Across the effective configurations, the three necessary conditions are decentralization, management commitment and service orientation of corporate culture. In addition (1) a limited offering of SSC, regardless of structure or the offering of SSP; or (2) a product-oriented service offering, regardless of structure or the offering of SSC or (3) a separate service organization, regardless of the offering of SSP or SSC drive servitization success | |
| How a product-focused salesforce can be engaged in solution selling | Salesperson-level conditions (solution experience, value-based selling, solution risk perception); organizational-level conditions (management's communication of role expectations and training; solution champions' market-shaping behavior) | Salesforce transformation | Identifies five different configurations that result in solution-selling engagement; value-based selling is the only necessary condition in all configurations, while other conditions can be present or absent depending on situational fit |
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