Tensions in Digital Servitization through a Paradox Lens

Tóth, Zsófia; Sklyar, Alexey; Kowalkowski, Christian; Sörhammar, David; Tronvoll, Bård; Wirths, oliver

doi:10.1016/j.indmarman.2022.02.010

Tensions in Digital Servitization through a Paradox Lens

Tóth, Zsófia; Sklyar, Alexey; Kowalkowski, Christian; Sörhammar, David; Tronvoll, Bård; Wirths, oliver

Authors

Dr Zsofia Toth zsofia.toth@durham.ac.uk
Associate Professor

Alexey Sklyar

Christian Kowalkowski

David Sörhammar

Bård Tronvoll

oliver Wirths

Abstract

Two of the most disruptive changes in today’s business markets are servitization and digitalization. Their increasing convergence into digital servitization leads to tensions both within and between organizations. The authors investigate such intra- and interorganizational tensions by applying a paradox theory lens. The study draws on 56 depth interviews and multiple site visits from two cases in the aerospace and maritime industries. Linked to the paradoxes of organizing, learning, belonging, and performing, eight tensions emerge from the findings. The intra-organizational tensions include digitally enabled control, digital upkeep, professional identity, and performance priorities. In turn, the interorganizational tensions comprise platform-based coopetition, information superabundance, organizational identity, and data utilization. For practitioners working with digital services, this study suggests an audit of tensions to inform continued formulations of a mitigation strategy.

Citation

Tóth, Z., Sklyar, A., Kowalkowski, C., Sörhammar, D., Tronvoll, B., & Wirths, O. (2022). Tensions in Digital Servitization through a Paradox Lens. Industrial Marketing Management, 102, 438-450. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2022.02.010

Journal Article Type	Article
Acceptance Date	Feb 12, 2022
Online Publication Date	Feb 18, 2022
Publication Date	2022-04
Deposit Date	Feb 17, 2022
Publicly Available Date	May 16, 2022
Journal	Industrial Marketing Management
Print ISSN	0019-8501
Publisher	Elsevier
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	102
Pages	438-450
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2022.02.010
Keywords	digital servitization; tensions; digitalization; digital transformation; business network; paradox theory
Public URL	https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1216761

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Copyright Statement
© 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)