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Servitization and deservitization: Overview, concepts, and definitions

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Kowalkowski, Christian, Gebauer, Heiko, Kamp, Bart, Parry, Glenn·2017·Industrial Marketing Management
DOI 10.1016/j.indmarman.2016.12.007
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Abstract

The topic of servitization has generated a considerable body of research and many conferences, as well as industry engagement. Yet, despite the extensive literature associated with this now-mature discipline, there is no broad-based consensus on the core concepts and definitions deployed by servitization scholars, and both terminology and usage often seem ambiguous. This paper examines challenges related to service growth strategies, as well as strategies involving deservitization or a retreat from service offerings. Showing that these strategies have been pursued for more than fifty years, clarification is sought here by framing the corresponding processes and proposing definitions for four core terms: servitization, service infusion, deservitization and service dilution. It becomes clear that in focusing on the organizational change entailed by these processes, future research must elucidate “softer” issues such as leadership and business logic.

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  • It can be adopted for monitoring the entire life cycle of a distributed system and its objects.

    “For its interesting capabilities, it can be adopted for monitoring the entire life cycle of a distributed system and its objects [46][47].”

    From Digital Twin in the IoT Context: A Survey on Technical Features, Scenarios, and Architectural Models (2020) · cites this paper as [47]

    Section 3.2 discusses connected industrial machines and the use of product data, but does not say they can monitor the entire life cycle of a distributed system and its objects. Searches for life-cycle monitoring and distributed systems found no passage addressing that claim. (LLM, conf=0.76)

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  43. Christian Kowalkowski is Associate Professor of Industrial Marketing at Linköping Uni- versity, Sweden, and Assistant Professor of Marketing at Hanken School of Economics, Fin- land. His current research activities include service growth strategies, relationship dynamics, service innovation, and solutions marketing. He is Subject Editor (Servitization) for the Journal of Service Management, associate editor of the Journal of Services Marketing, and an editorial board member for Industrial Marketing Management, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, Journal of Service Theory and Practice, and Journal of Service Research.
  44. Heiko Gebauer leads the business innovation group in the Department of Environmental Social Science at Eawag (Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Research). His research focuses on innovations in base-of-the-pyramid markets and services in product-oriented compa- nies. He is also a guest professor in Strategy and International Management at Linköping University, and at the Center for Service Research at Karlstad University. He has collaborat- ed with a number of industry partners, including ABB Group, Caterpillar, Georg Fischer Machine Solutions, and ZF Friedrichshafen, as well as "hidden" service and solution cham- pions such as Fraisa, Hilti, Swiss Fresh Water, and Testo Industrial Services. He has pub- lished in academic journals (e.g., Journal of Service Research, Journal of Business Research, Industrial Marketing Management, Science of the Total Environment, and Journal of Service Management) as well as in management journals such as Harvard Business Manager.

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Authors
Kowalkowski, C., Gebauer, H., Kamp, B., & Parry, G.
Affiliations
  • Linköping University (SE)
  • Universidad de Deusto (ES)
  • University of the West of England (GB)
Corresponding author
Kowalkowski, Christian
ORCID
Venue
Industrial Marketing Management
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2017-01
Volume
60
Pages
4-10
ISSN
0019-8501 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.indmarman.2016.12.007
OpenAlex
W2570814811
Cited by
558
References
1
Citations by year
2026: 46 · 2025: 50 · 2024: 88 · 2023: 83 · 2022: 71 · 2021: 88 · 2020: 49 · 2019: 39 · 2018: 30 · 2017: 14
FWCI
65.35
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Industrial Marketing Management (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • DORA Eawag (Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag)) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • UWE Research Repository (UWE Bristol) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • Open Research (University of Surrey) (submittedVersion)
  • Digital Access to Libraries (submittedVersion)
  • Surrey Research Insight Open Access (The University of Surrey) (submittedVersion)
  • Publikationsdatenbank der Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft (Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft) (submittedVersion)
  • Työväentutkimus Vuosikirja (submittedVersion)
  • Fraunhofer-Publica (Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft) (submittedVersion)
Funders
Riksbankens Jubileumsfond (P15-0232:1)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Marketing › Service and Product Innovation
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Management Information Systems › Outsourcing and Supply Chain Management
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Strategy and Management › Business Strategies and Innovation
Keywords
servitization, organizational change, service offerings, definitions and terminology, business logic, leadership

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