Collaborating with service and digital suppliers for Smart Product-Service Systems development: four different configurations of collaboration based on the Social Exchange Theory

This paper aims to define the main configurations of inter-firm collaboration for Smart Product-Service Systems (PSSs) in digital servitization. We propose four configurations for collaboration, conducting one case study for each type of collaboration. These cases were analyzed according to elements of the Social Exchange Theory (SET): trust, commitment, reciprocity, and power. Our findings show that the configuration type for collaboration varies according to the level of innovation sought in the Smart PSS offer. For each type of collaboration, different arrangements of the SET elements can be found. Our study provides an in-depth analysis of inter-firm collaboration for Smart PSS.