Servitization as an ongoing process of changing: the case of ConstructCo

The aim of this research was to advance existing theory on servitization by examining how the process of servitization unfolds. Analysis of the literature revealed that existing studies have a tendency to view servitization as a planned process with definite, identifiable stages. Much attention is given to explaining what each of these stages looks like with a particular emphasis upon what constitutes a fully servitized organizational state. However, the literature largely neglects the process of changing that organizations undergo. Furthermore, it is assumed that servitization can be systematically managed through a top-down process. In addressing these limitations within the literature, this study adopted a processual approach towards understanding how one organization moves forward on their servitization journey. This thirty-three-month longitudinal case study of ConstructCo combined retrospective and real-time analysis, as the study set out to follow their journey as it was unfolding. In total, fifty-one interviews were conducted with individuals across ConstructCo’s value chain. The findings from the case analysis show that ConstructCo were not moving along a clearly defined path to a specific end-goal, but rather ConstructCo’s journey took on a momentum of its own through a constellation of developments and the ongoing interactions between individuals and organisations across their value-chain. Through this process, much of the impetus derived from both deliberate and unintended developments at a micro-level. This research makes an original contribution to knowledge, as it argues for a switch in emphasis towards a conceptualization of servitization as a continuous journey of becoming and away from viewing servitization as a progression through a series of stages. The processual study of ConstructCo also advances existing theory on servitization by demonstrating that it cannot be viewed purely as a top-down planned process. Rather, it can also be an emergent and bottom-up process. In doing so, it provides fresh insights around how servitization is accomplished within an organisation.