Servitization in a knowledge management perspective: the IBM corporation case study

In response to the many economic changes and to the growing importance acquired by intangible assets - such as services and knowledge - an increasing number of manifacturing firms are moving from production of tangible goods to the offering of integrated solutions (i.e., product-service systems). However, the transition into a more servitized entitites - a phenomenon known as servization - is not so easy to undertake. The purpose of this thesis is to provide a better understanding of the possible useful tools that a manufacturing firm could implement when decides to attempt the servitization strategy. In particular, this study aims to answer to the following reasearch question: How can the implementation of a knowledge management system facilitate the adoption of the servitization strategy? In order to answer to the above-mentiones research question, this study adopts a systematic literature review and an inductive single-case study. The finding reveal that even though the literature has still not well address the relationship between servitization and knowledge management, this relationship exist. In particular, through the analysis of the IBM Corporation a set of connection points have been identified. The results of the inductive single-case study led to the development of a model that could guide industry practitioners of a manufacturing firm that decide to implement a servitization strategy. The model represents a novel approach to managing both knowledge and services during an orgnization's shift towards a product-service system offering. This thesis has addressed a literature gap and met an industrial need, making a significant contribution both to theory and practice.