From Mass Production to Mass Customization: Hindrance Factors, Structural Inertia and Transition Hazard

Research on Mass Customization has largely overlooked the issue of organizational change associated with the Mass Production-to-Mass Customization (MP-to-MC) transition. To address this gap in the literature, we conduct a quasi-longitudinal case study of a manufacturing facility belonging to a division of a Fortune 1000 discrete manufacturing firm as it seeks to transition from MP to MC. We empirically derive five factors hindering the MP-to-MC transition within the research site. We propose five corresponding analytical generalizations explaining how and why these hindrance factors relate to the MP-to-MC transition hazard (i.e., how and why they threaten the likelihood of a successful MP-to-MC transition). To lend credibility to these theoretical insights, we then juxtapose the five factors and analytical generalizations against the more general constructs and prescriptions of Structural Inertia Theory. We conclude with a discussion of the scientific and pragmatic significance of the findings and opportunities for future research. This paper is reprinted with permission from the editor of the Production and Operations Management Journal, where it was originally published in 2008, Vol. 17, Issue. 3.