How do manufacturing companies and service providers share knowledge in the context of servitization? An evolutionary-game model of complex networks

The digital capabilities driven by Internet of Things and affiliated techniques have enabled the prevailing service-oriented business models, among which servitization has been well recognised as one of the most competitive strategies for manufacturing companies. However, manufacturing companies usually show a lack of knowledge regarding the service offering associated to their manufactured products. Acquiring external knowledge from service providers is one effective way to tackle this problem, but due to the information asymmetry, the process of knowledge sharing between the two is often faced with a prisoner’s dilemma game. Meanwhile, the company’s game strategy will change with the evolution of the knowledge sharing network structure. We therefore consider the influence of group spatial structure on individual game strategy, marry a canonical evolutionary game model on the decision-making mechanism of individuals to the complex network theory on the interaction behaviour among individuals in the groups. By analysing the model, we reveal the influence of various factors under the dimensions of ability and benefit on the willingness of companies to share knowledge. We also demonstrate the divergence in the influence of various factors on different types of companies.