Abstract

     The utilization phase is critical for overall solution value creation, but solution providers and customers alike struggle to manage this phase effectively. We employed the resource interaction approach (RIA) in a case study of a Swedish clean-tech company with three failed solution projects. We identified three challenges associated with co-creating solution value during utilization: (1) new interfaces between the solution outputs and the customer’s other relevant resources become manifest during use; (2) the standardized parts of the solution are created in specific contexts and hence may not perform as expected if the customer’s use context is considerably different; and (3) gradual changes in the solution outputs and the customer’s other relevant resources are difficult to detect and assess. We develop three propositions based on these findings. This study contributes to the solutions literature as one of the first empirical studies to investigate challenges in solution utilization from an RIA perspective.

Introduction

     Faced with rampant commoditization, manufacturing companies are increasingly moving to differentiate themselves by offering solutions (Worm et al., 2017). By solutions, we mean customized product–service combinations that render a specific output relevant to their business customers (Nordin and Kowalkowski, 2010, Worm et al., 2017)—for example, Philips combining lighting fixtures and related services into a lighting solution that ensures energy-efficient lighting for Schiphol Airport (Ramaswamy & Pieters, 2021). Solutions are expected to deliver superior value for providers and customers alike compared with traditional, “pure” product or service offerings (Cova and Salle, 2007, Evanschitzky et al., 2011, Ulaga and Reinartz, 2011). In this article, we focus on the value of the solution for customers. Referring to Macdonald et al. (2016), we define solution value as all customer-perceived consequences arising from a solution that facilitate (or block) the achievement of the customer’s goals.

Conclusions

     In this study, we investigated the challenges that customers experience when utilizing a new solution that interacts with other resources in their use context. To achieve this, we employed a RIA to analyze the challenges related to solution value co-creation during the solution utilization phase. Based on an in-depth case study of three failed projects by a Swedish clean-tech company, we found three challenges for cocreating solution value during solution utilization: (1) new resource interfaces related to solution output that manifest themselves in use and in a specific context, (2) hidden resource imprints of standardized parts of the solution that are unsuitable for the solution use context, and (3) inconspicuous gradual changes in resources over time and their unclear implications for solution value creation. These three challenges led us to identify an overarching challenge of co-creating solution value in solution utilization: actors’ inability to access the knowledge required for successful resourcification of the solution and its outputs developed over time and in different contexts. Based on these findings, we put forward three propositions that can be tested and further developed in future studies.