Seminar

Platform-based servitization and ecosystem platform development in traditional and institutionalized markets

5 May 2022
Start time 
2:00 pm
Palazzo di Economia - Via Inama 5, Trento
Seminar Room, first floor, Department of Economics and Management
Organizer: 
Doctoral School of Social Sciences
Target audience: 
Everyone
Attendance: 
Free
Speaker: 
Paul Marc Matthyssens - Università degli Studi Milano Bicocca

Abstract

Digitization is receiving a lot of interest in recent servitization research, but the use of platform-based Industry 4.0 technologies to boost product-service innovation (PSI) is less covered. We will briefly discuss two recent studies.

The first paper aims to explore how companies successfully leverage platforms for servitization in an Industry 4.0 context. Building on theories of PSI, platform leverage and business model adaptation (BMA), we use longitudinal and interpretive research methods to conduct an exploratory study of the servitization pathways of four Chinese textile and apparel manufacturing companies (i.e., in a typical ‘traditional’ product centric industry). Results reveal companies’ roadmaps in undertaking digital and smart servitization strategies enabled by platform leveraging, and show the implementation approaches for related BMA. This study constructs a theoretical basis and a typology for explaining platform-based servitization.

The second study investigates the impact of an institutionalized market context on platform ecosystem development. It studies how platform ecosystems are set up and evolve in the asset management industry and explores the role of the platform leader and selected core network partners in unleashing value innovation notwithstanding institutional barriers. A problematization lens is used to identify deviations between the management practices in this industry setting and the prescriptions in the extant literature on platform ecosystem development. The research follows a retrospective longitudinal single-case design focusing on the development of a new platform ecosystem. The study contributes to the understanding of the challenges to be faced when setting up and expanding platform ecosystems in a highly institutionalized setting and identifies ‘levers’ to create a smooth flow for platform ecosystem development.