Digital Transformation in Automotive: Drivers of Effective Sales Behaviors During Servitization at a German Car Manufacturer
Dr. Joschka Hüllmann
Assistant Professor, IEBIS Department, University of Twente.
Manufacturers deem servitization, i.e., a shift towards offering digital product-service systems, a competitive remedy facing heightened customer expectations and competition amidst their digital transformation. Although previous research inquired about traditional service operations, research into the servitization’s digital nature remains nascent, and insights addressing the behavioral changes associated with such transformations are lacking. This paper presents a mixed-method case study at a German car manufacturer, sharing insights into which organizational and individual factors drive salespeople’s behaviors during servitization. Based on twelve interviews and eleven workshops, a research model of organizational and individual factors driving behaviors is derived. The organizational factors include information dissemination, service orientation, and formalization. The individual factors include technology affinity, involvement, and usage clarity. Quantitative validation of the research model with structural equation modeling (SEM-CB) and 186 participants from the German car manufacturer suggests that service orientation is essential and usage clarity is key to mediating behaviors. The study contributes to understanding salespeople’s behavioral changes when introducing digital product-service systems. Recommendations on designing personnel training programs to improve the sales of digital product-service systems are derived.
Joschka Hüllmann is assistant professor of Information Systems in the Department of High-Tech Business and Entrepreneurship at the University of Twente in the Netherlands. Previously, he completed his PhD in Münster, Germany, with research stays in Hamburg, Sydney, Sao Paulo, and Osnabrück. His research addresses the interface between the development and organizational use of management information systems and their impact on work and the workplace. He likes using digital traces for theorizing and contributes to their methodological advancement. The results of his research have been published in IEEE Transactions, Information Technology & People, Deutscher Wirtschaftsdienst, and in the proceedings of all leading information systems conferences (ICIS, ECIS, WI, ACIS, PACIS, AMCIS). Before his academic career, Joschka Hüllmann worked as a software developer in the fields of renewable energies and public transport.
Circularity Information Platform for the Built Environment: Lessons Learned from Two Validation Sessions
Yifei Yu
Ph.D. Candidate, IEBIS Department, University of Twente.
Circular Economy aims to close building material loops and improve resource efficiency based on circular practices, rather than continuing the take-make-consume-dispose process. However, it is challenging to manage multiple circular buildings at scale because of spatiotemporal mismatches of circular material flows. A Circularity Information Platform (CIP) is viewed as a promising solution to tackle this challenge. Although this type of solution attracts increasing attention, there is a lack of empirical evidence on CIP’s design and development. From a design science perspective, this research presents the lessons learned from two validation sessions, built upon the prior design work. Specifically, we validate a web-based CIP prototype and a circular matchmaking simulation model in the context of the circular built environment in the Twente region, respectively. We conduct validation workshops in different forms by engaging potential users with diverse knowledge backgrounds, including practitioners, policymakers, researchers, and students. Validation feedback is collected and analysed to answer two major questions: (1) What can designed artefacts do now? (2) What can they do in the future? The findings show that the artefacts help to build a common experimental basis for multi-stakeholders where they can envisage, evaluate, and discuss the potential functions, benefits, and trade-offs of implementing CIP in the built environment.
Yifei Yu is a full-time (2020--2024) PhD candidate at IEBIS funded by BMS Signature PhD Grant. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering and a Master’s degree in Construction Management and Engineering. His PhD project is about designing a Circularity Information Platform to accelerate the Circular Economy transition in the built environment. His work contributes to the design theory for a Circularity Information Platform from different perspectives. He takes a multi-disciplinary research approach covering the fields of Circular Economy, Industrial Symbiosis, Construction Management, Information Systems, and Public Policy.