Overview of some key references within the SME context regarding each stream
| Author(s) and year | Stream | Methodology | Key findings | Research gaps (to address) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adrodegari and Saccani (2020) | S | Literature-based approach, 2 SMEs | Developing a servitization maturity model for assessing and positioning companies in the servitization journey | Empirical evidence mainly concerns large multinational companies, while SMEs' attempts to servitize are not much investigated |
| Queiroz et al. (2020) | S | PLS-SEM modeling, 176 SMEs | A positive relationship between servitization and SME performance | Scarcity of empirical evidence demonstrating the impact of servitization on SME performance |
| Weerawardena et al. (2020) | I | PLS-SEM modeling, 157 SMEs | The results showed that market learning drives other learning capabilities in the firm to contribute collectively to innovation and, in turn, international market outcomes | The challenges presented by the unique characteristics of services particularly in marketing internationally must be recognized. Also, the knowledge resources and capabilities that drive service innovation-based competitive advantages remain under-researched. In addition, it is questioned in the service innovation literature whether service innovation-based competitive advantages can be sustained |
| Benitez et al. (2020) | E | Survey and interviews, 87 SMEs | The final framework shows that the ecosystem's mission shifted from accessing innovation funds to Industry 4.0 solution co-creation and, then, to smart business solutions co-creation | Little is known about how to systematize the efforts of SMEs through the promotion of innovation ecosystems for the co-creation of Industry 4.0 solutions. Prior research has predominantly focused on Industry 4.0 technology adopters, i.e. the demand side, while there is still a gap in the literature referring to the study of technology providers, i.e. the offering side |
| Kahle et al. (2020) | E | Case study method, 120 SMEs | Developing a conceptual framework that presents the required characteristics of an innovation ecosystem to offer smart products, and discloses the relationships among these characteristics | The development of smart products requires knowledge and capabilities that single companies usually do not possess, thus creating new opportunities for cooperation through the establishment of innovation ecosystems focused on smart products |
| Peillon and Dubruc (2019) | DS | Literature analysis and multiple case study, 8 SMEs | Identifying the main barriers that French manufacturing SMEs face in their move toward digital servitization | Even though digitalization can offer vast opportunities for SMEs to enter new markets, the digital transformation path is not obvious, and manufacturing SMEs face major barriers and obstacles to digital servitization |
| Genc et al. (2019) | I | PLS-SEM modeling, 235 SMEs | The results indicated that the degree of internationalization positively affects innovation performance and, more importantly, that this relationship is indirect and fully mediated by the market and entrepreneurial orientation of SMEs | Little effort has been made to test and examine how internationalization fosters or hinders a firm's innovation performance. In fact, there is no consensus about the underlying mechanism of this relationship and direct and/or indirect effects of seeking internationalization on innovation |
| Radziwon and Bogers (2019) | E | Multiple case study, 7 SMEs | The results established a particular set of challenges for the SMEs due to the misalignment between their business models and their ecosystems | Few studies have focused on open innovation in business ecosystems, thus amplifying the lack of understanding of how SMEs can manage open innovation in such ecosystems |
| Valtakoski and Witell (2018) | S | Survey study, 224 SMEs | Studying the impact of back-office (BO) service capability and front-office (FO) service capability, and how firm age influences the impact of these service capabilities on SME performance | Underexplored areas in addressing the impact of capabilities on firm performance |
| Lack of clearance between servitization-related capabilities and their relative importance | ||||
| Coreynen et al. (2017) | S, DS | Multiple case study, 4 SMEs | Understanding how digitalization can enable manufacturing companies to offer a higher level of value-added services to their customers | Not enough is known about how manufacturers can effectively leverage digital means to increase their service offering |
| Galkina and Chetty (2015) | I | Multiple case study, 7 SMEs | The results showed how entrepreneurs network with interested partners instead of carefully selecting international partners according to predefined network goals | The internationalization process often lacks strategic orientation. This relates to the fact that decision making is done under conditions of uncertainty and goal ambiguity, and the relationship component makes this process difficult to predict |
| Kowalkowski et al. (2013) | S, E | Multiple case study, 13 SMEs | Investigating how SMEs construct new value constellations that enable value creation through services | No explicit investigations consider how SMEs manage to infuse service into their business |
| Author(s) and year | Stream | Methodology | Key findings | Research gaps (to address) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S | Literature-based approach, 2 SMEs | Developing a servitization maturity model for assessing and positioning companies in the servitization journey | Empirical evidence mainly concerns large multinational companies, while SMEs' attempts to servitize are not much investigated | |
| S | PLS-SEM modeling, 176 SMEs | A positive relationship between servitization and SME performance | Scarcity of empirical evidence demonstrating the impact of servitization on SME performance | |
| I | PLS-SEM modeling, 157 SMEs | The results showed that market learning drives other learning capabilities in the firm to contribute collectively to innovation and, in turn, international market outcomes | The challenges presented by the unique characteristics of services particularly in marketing internationally must be recognized. Also, the knowledge resources and capabilities that drive service innovation-based competitive advantages remain under-researched. In addition, it is questioned in the service innovation literature whether service innovation-based competitive advantages can be sustained | |
| E | Survey and interviews, 87 SMEs | The final framework shows that the ecosystem's mission shifted from accessing innovation funds to Industry 4.0 solution co-creation and, then, to smart business solutions co-creation | Little is known about how to systematize the efforts of SMEs through the promotion of innovation ecosystems for the co-creation of Industry 4.0 solutions. Prior research has predominantly focused on Industry 4.0 technology adopters, i.e. the demand side, while there is still a gap in the literature referring to the study of technology providers, i.e. the offering side | |
| E | Case study method, 120 SMEs | Developing a conceptual framework that presents the required characteristics of an innovation ecosystem to offer smart products, and discloses the relationships among these characteristics | The development of smart products requires knowledge and capabilities that single companies usually do not possess, thus creating new opportunities for cooperation through the establishment of innovation ecosystems focused on smart products | |
| DS | Literature analysis and multiple case study, 8 SMEs | Identifying the main barriers that French manufacturing SMEs face in their move toward digital servitization | Even though digitalization can offer vast opportunities for SMEs to enter new markets, the digital transformation path is not obvious, and manufacturing SMEs face major barriers and obstacles to digital servitization | |
| I | PLS-SEM modeling, 235 SMEs | The results indicated that the degree of internationalization positively affects innovation performance and, more importantly, that this relationship is indirect and fully mediated by the market and entrepreneurial orientation of SMEs | Little effort has been made to test and examine how internationalization fosters or hinders a firm's innovation performance. In fact, there is no consensus about the underlying mechanism of this relationship and direct and/or indirect effects of seeking internationalization on innovation | |
| E | Multiple case study, 7 SMEs | The results established a particular set of challenges for the SMEs due to the misalignment between their business models and their ecosystems | Few studies have focused on open innovation in business ecosystems, thus amplifying the lack of understanding of how SMEs can manage open innovation in such ecosystems | |
| S | Survey study, 224 SMEs | Studying the impact of back-office (BO) service capability and front-office (FO) service capability, and how firm age influences the impact of these service capabilities on SME performance | Underexplored areas in addressing the impact of capabilities on firm performance | |
| Lack of clearance between servitization-related capabilities and their relative importance | ||||
| S, DS | Multiple case study, 4 SMEs | Understanding how digitalization can enable manufacturing companies to offer a higher level of value-added services to their customers | Not enough is known about how manufacturers can effectively leverage digital means to increase their service offering | |
| I | Multiple case study, 7 SMEs | The results showed how entrepreneurs network with interested partners instead of carefully selecting international partners according to predefined network goals | The internationalization process often lacks strategic orientation. This relates to the fact that decision making is done under conditions of uncertainty and goal ambiguity, and the relationship component makes this process difficult to predict | |
| S, E | Multiple case study, 13 SMEs | Investigating how SMEs construct new value constellations that enable value creation through services | No explicit investigations consider how SMEs manage to infuse service into their business |
Note(s): S = Servitization, DS = Digital Servitization, E = Ecosystem, I = Internationalization
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