A Framework for Assessment and Implementation of Product-Service Systems Strategies: Learning From an Action Research in the Health-Care Sector

Product-Service Systems (PSS) are new business strategies moving and extending the product value towards its functional usage and related required services. From a theoretical point of view the PSS concept is known since a decade and many Authors reported reasonable possible success factors: higher profits over the entire life-cycle, diminished environmental burden, and localization of required services. Many researchers reported very interesting experiments in large enterprises, typically specialized in functional goods production, while only few researches have been performed for small and medium enterprises (SME). From the flexibility point of view, SMEs seem to be facilitated in approaching a PSS business strategy, thanks to the rapid re-organization of their value-chain/supply-chain (VC/SC), but, on the other hand, requiring a structured, and interrelated approach in order to assess and implement such a strategy. This paper presents the learning from an action research (AR) in the health-care sector. AR has been used in order to experience a PSS initiative and therefore define, develop, and test a complete framework for assessing and implementing PSS strategies. Reflection on the story in the light of the experience and the theory is presented, as well as extrapolation to a broader context and articulation of usable knowledge.