Digital competence of stakeholders in Product-Service Systems (PSS): Conceptualization and empirical exploration

Abstract

Recent research argues that digitalization is a key enabler for servitization and a critical component in Product-Service Systems (PSS). However, digitalization capabilities in servitization research have so far only been specified at an organisational level. Specifications or empirical investigations that focus on specific stakeholders such as individual workers who are affected by digital transformation are still a gap in research. This research gap is addressed by exploring digital competence on a conceptual and empirical basis and separate it from other PSS-specific competences which have already been introduced. The article builds on recent research in the areas of digitalization, servitization and stakeholders competence in PSS. Two research questions are addressed: How can digital competence be understood and measured, and which implications can be drawn for PSS research and management? The results of the preliminary empirical investigation (n = 49) reveal that a scale of digital competence based on three subcategories: "technical handling", "critical evaluation" and "problem-oriented usage" determine distinct facets of a new way of digitally enabled problem-solving that is related to the evaluation and exploitation of digital information in individual and group-oriented settings.