Typologies of Manufacturer Identities in the Age of Smart Solutions

Abstract

This book chapter conceptualizes a manufacturer’s new identity in a digitally connected world as a socially constructed phenomenon. We acknowledge the possibility of ambiguity in corporate identity among manufacturers’ key stakeholders (personnel, customers, and suppliers) when manufacturers pursue digital servitization strategies. We typologize eight archetypes of identities for a manufacturer providing digitally enabled services and solutions. We suggest that managers should give attention to narratives, organizational culture, processes, resources, and capabilities when pursuing organizational identity change.