A contextual account of digital servitization through autonomous solutions : Aligning a digital servitization process and a maritime service ecosystem transformation to autonomous shipping

Abstract

This study focuses on digital servitization (DS) through autonomous solutions by building on a service ecosystems perspective. The rise of autonomous solutions exemplifies the ongoing digitalization and societal transformation and therefore integrative theoretical perspectives are needed to complement the dominant focal actor perspective in extant DS research. The study presents a longitudinal case of a solution provider's DS process to demonstrate how transformation towards autonomous shipping was driven in the maritime sector. An empirically enriched framework communicates DS process as aligned changes in value propositions, resource configurations and institutional arrangements within the service ecosystem. The study offers academic contributions and practical implications on managing DS through autonomous solutions as a strategic reorientation of a firm in the multi-level context of service ecosystem transformation.