Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the origins and evolution of the concept of servitization by studying the definitions of servitization provided in the literature. Servitization represents an academic field that has grown rapidly since its inception. However, the conceptualization of servitization varies greatly, in part because of the number of studies on this topic and the fact that it has been analyzed in a range of disciplines using a number of theoretical approaches. There is a need to standardize the vocabulary to create a general definition that can support the development of theory in this domain and help legitimize servitization as a research area.
Design/methodology/approach
This study conducts a systematic, quantitative analysis of a broad set of definitions of servitization. Specifically, this study performs content analysis (combining co-word analysis and social network analysis) and consensus analysis. This study develops a strategic diagram to represent the morphology of the research network.
Findings
The definitions of servitization are deconstructed and analyzed in depth to create a comprehensive picture of the research on this topic. This analysis reveals the origins and evolution of this research area. The results show a low degree of consensus among scholars regarding the concept of servitization. This study proposes a definition that should be widely accepted thanks to its inclusion of the core terms from other definitions. Explicit recognition of multiple approaches to defining the term can help practitioners and researchers. Predictions about future progress in this area are discussed.
Originality/value
A universal definition of servitization is proposed based on the results of co-word and network analysis. This definition unifies a range of multidisciplinary viewpoints. From a practical perspective, the key vocabulary in servitization research is highlighted.
The results obtained from the model of efficiency measurement used did not indicate that decentralization improves the productive efficiency of primary care centers.
The business world is faced with the need to create new strategies in order to identify a global mentality and an international motivation in professionals who hardly work anymore in monocultural environments. This study investigates the characteristics of international career aspirations to identify multicultural personality traits that may predict interest in working abroad. Empirical research has been carried out with 243 individuals using the Multicultural Personality Questionnaire (MPQ), a multidimensional instrument whose objective is to measure multicultural efficacy. The results of the study suggest that open-mindedness and flexibility are the main predictors of interest in working abroad. These findings have important implications for organizations that require suitable candidates to work effectively in international and multicultural environments.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.