ABSTRACT
Service supply chains can follow different strategic orientations influenced by their positions in the market. Strategic shifts may enhance competitiveness, and managers of supply chains therefore need to understand different configuration options and appropriate pathways between them. This chapter illustrates possible configurations and strategic shifts across a typology of service supply chains. The resulting research artefacts can aid in the analysis of current and future positions, and offer strategic decision support for service supply chain stakeholders. This chapter explores how service supply chains can be characterized by different degrees of novelty and analyzability of the service offerings. A practical example from the consulting industry illustrates a transition from an agile to an efficient service supply chain. The configuration typology put forward aids the theoretical understanding of service supply chains and holds potential to guide managerial decision-making.
