Samenvatting

This thesis investigates how dynamic capabilities and their underlying microfoundations enable manufacturers to implement digital servitization as a means for circular business model innovation. Digital servitization and circular business model innovation are both gaining traction in the manufacturing industry, yet the dynamic capabilities and microfoundations that link them remain underexplored. Using a qualitative research design grounded in the Gioia methodology, the study draws on thirteen semi structured interviews with professionals from eight Dutch manufacturing firms engaged in digital servitization and/or circular initiatives. An iterative coding process produced a data structure that identifies fifteen microfoundations underpinning dynamic capabilities across sensing, seizing and
reconfiguring domains. Organizations sense opportunities by monitoring usage and lifecycle patterns, observing the external environment and market shifts and understanding market and customer demand. They seize opportunities through adapting sales and communication competencies, exploiting knowledge and digital capabilities, focusing on digital servitization offerings and focusing on circular offerings. They reconfigure by driving cultural transformation through targeted skill building, leadership support, and active employee participation, deploying data and digital technologies, measuring circular and digital servitization performance, achieving operational and process excellence, embedding organizational roles and governance, applying circular design principles that enable modularity, repair, reuse, and refurbishment, realigning sourcing and supply chains, and transforming strategy and business models.
The study contributes to the dynamic capabilities theory by detailing how manufacturers implement digital servitization as a means for circular business model innovation. Practically, the study provides managers with guidance to implement circular business model innovation through digital servitization.