CASE STUDY
An in-depth description of a firm’s approach to an IT management issue (intended for MBA and executive education)
Working Paper: Case Study
Connected Cleaning at Kärcher
Kärcher, the leading provider of cleaning technology, transformed its organization in order to be able to more effectively develop and provide digital offerings.
Abstract
By 2019, German-based Kärcher, “the world’s leading provider of cleaning technology,” had turned its professional cleaning devices into digital offerings. The data generated by these connected cleaning devices formed a key ingredient in the company’s ongoing strategic shift in its B2B business: Kärcher was transforming from a seller of cleaning devices to a provider of consulting services in order to help professional cleaning companies improve their cleaning processes.
The case illustrates how the company learned to generate value from digital offerings. And it demonstrates how a family-owned company transformed its organization in order to be able to more effectively develop and provide digital offerings, while adding roles and developing technology platforms, as well as changing structures and ways of working.
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About the Authors
Martin Mocker, Research Affiliate, MIT Sloan Center for Information Systems Research (CISR)
MIT CENTER FOR INFORMATION SYSTEMS RESEARCH (CISR)
Founded in 1974 and grounded in the MIT tradition of rigorous field-based research, MIT CISR helps executives meet the challenge of leading dynamic, global, and information-intensive organizations. Through research, teaching, and events, the center stimulates interaction among scholars, students, and practitioners. More than seventy-five firms sponsor our work and participate in our consortium.
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