Purpose: Research suggests that to structure for servitization, organizations should separate their front- and back-end units by reference to high versus low contact activities. However, these prescriptions are overly simplistic and largely based on anecdotal evidence that fails to account for context. This research addresses the need to explore the design decisions taken by organizations in support of servitization.\ud\udDesign/methodology/approach: A large-scale exploratory case study was conducted, consisting of embedded cases in three divisions of a UK-based, global manufacturing firm. \ud\udFindings: Each division provided different combinations of offerings (i.e. product-, use- and result-oriented). The findings suggest that front-end / back-end configurations differ according to the offering and can exist concurrently within the same organization, challenging the assumption that different configurations within an organization are not possible. The findings show that underlying contextual factors, such as the complexity and temporality of the offering, as well as the power of the customer, have implications for the structuring of servitizing organizations. \ud\udResearch limitations: This is a context-specific, qualitative case study conducted within a large original equipment manufacturer, yet the findings are analytically generalized.\ud\udOriginality/value: In identifying the relevance of different design decisions in terms of customer contact, decoupling of activities and grouping of employees, the findings challenge the extant view that organizations simply split activities between the front- and back-end functions. The research identifies an additional design configuration - Integrated Project Teams – involving a dominant customer dictating organizational interfaces. This research exposes the need for further investigation into how to organize for servitization in project-based contexts.
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机译:目的:研究表明,为了进行服务化,组织应通过参考高接触活动和低接触活动将其前端和后端部门分开。但是,这些规定过于简单化,并且主要基于未能说明具体情况的轶事证据。这项研究满足了探索组织为服务化而做出的设计决策的需求。\ ud \ ud设计/方法/方法:进行了大规模的探索性案例研究,包括英国三个地区的嵌入式案例,全球制造公司。 \ ud \ udFindings:每个部门都提供不同的产品组合(即以产品,使用和结果为导向)。研究结果表明,前端/后端配置根据产品的不同而不同,并且可以在同一组织内同时存在,这挑战了组织内不可能有不同配置的假设。研究结果表明,潜在的上下文因素,例如产品的复杂性和时效性以及客户的力量,对服务组织的结构有影响。 \ ud \ ud研究局限性:这是在大型原始设备制造商内部进行的针对特定上下文的定性案例研究,但对发现进行了分析概括。\ ud \ ud原始性/价值:根据客户确定不同设计决策的相关性联系,活动分离和员工分组,这些发现挑战了现有观点,即组织只是在前端和后端职能之间划分活动。研究确定了附加的设计配置-集成项目团队-涉及主导客户的组织接口。这项研究提出了进一步研究如何在基于项目的上下文中组织服务化的需求。
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