Data analytics capability and servitization: the moderated mediation role of bricolage and innovation orientation

Purpose Despite the potential influence of data analytics capability on servitization, the understanding of the underlying mechanisms of this influence remains unclear. This study aims to explore how data analytics capability affects servitization by examining the mediation effect of bricolage and the conditional role of innovation orientation. Design/methodology/approach This study employs the moderated mediation method to examine the proposed research model with archival data and multiple-respondent surveys from 1,206 top managers of 402 manufacturing firms in the Yangtze River Delta area in China. Findings Bricolage partially mediates the positive relationship between data analytics capability and servitization, and innovation orientation positively moderates this effect. Practical implications Manufacturers can leverage bricolage to materialize data analytics capability for servitization. Manufacturers should also pursue an innovation orientation to fully glean the benefits of bricolage in transforming data analytics capability into servitization. Originality/value This study opens the black box of how data analytics capability affects servitization by revealing the underlying mechanism of bricolage and the boundary condition role of innovation orientation for this mechanism. It offers valuable insights for practitioners to leverage data analytics to improve servitization through developing bricolage and cultivating a culture of innovation orientation.