Publication Type
PhD Dissertation
Version
publishedVersion
Publication Date
4-2026
Abstract
This study focuses on traditional Chinese manufacturing firms undergoing servitization transformation. Servitization has become a critical pathway for driving industrial upgrading and fostering new quality productive forces. However, enterprises commonly face the servitization paradox: despite heavy investments in service offerings, expected performance gains remain unrealized, stemming from a systemic misalignment between servitization capabilities and organizational mechanisms. Existing research has not yet formed a systematic explanation for the internal paths through which servitization capabilities drive performance or the moderating influence of organizational transformation. To address this theoretical gap, this study draws on dynamic capabilities theory to examine how manufacturing servitization affects firm performance.
Using a mixed-methods design combining qualitative exploration and quantitative verification, this study first conducts an exploratory dual-case study based on grounded theory. It constructs the initial framework of "servitization capabilities—organizational transformation—firm performance," identifying three dimensions of servitization capabilities and three dimensions of organizational transformation. Case evidence shows that mature enterprises achieve performance growth via capability–organization synergy, whereas firms in the early stages of transformation suffer from capability fragmentation due to deficient organizational arrangements.
Based on a questionnaire survey of 352 executives, hypotheses are tested using structural equation modeling (SEM), regression moderation analysis, and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). Results indicate that all three servitization capabilities significantly enhance firm performance, with the impact strength ranked as follows: AI-enabled capability, resource integration capability, and product value-added capability. Organizational transformation positively moderates all the above relationships, with the strongest effect on AIenabled capability. Moreover, the fsQCA results confirm that high performance arises from the synergistic coupling of multiple conditions, while low performance results from insufficient capabilities and weak organizational transformation.
The theoretical contributions include: a multidimensional model of servitization capabilities with dual roles of AI-enabled capability as digital foundation and genetic core; organizational transformation as a systemic moderator explaining the servitization paradox; and a staged fit path of capability-organization-performance. Practically, this study translates its findings into actionable pathways for manufacturers to break the servitization paradox, offering a systematic framework to help managers diagnose, build, and align servitization capabilities with organizational restructuring. It also provides insights for policymakers to design supportive ecosystems and foster new quality productive forces across the manufacturing sector.
Keywords
manufacturing servitization, servitization capabilities, organizational transformation, firm performance, grounded theory, dynamic capabilities theory
Degree Awarded
Doctor of Business Administration (Accounting and Finance)
Discipline
Operations and Supply Chain Management | Strategic Management Policy
Supervisor(s)
GENG, Xuesong
First Page
1
Last Page
282
Publisher
Singapore Management University
City or Country
Singapore
Citation
WANG, Jianping.
The impact of manufacturing servitization on firm performance: evidence from China’s traditional industry. (2026). 1-282.
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/etd_coll/859
Copyright Owner and License
Author
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.