WHO–WHAT–HOW: A Product Operating Model for Agile, Technology-Enabled Digital Transformation

Raul Ionuț Riti (), Claudiu Ioan Abrudan, Laura Bacali and Nicolae Bâlc
Additional contact information
Raul Ionuț Riti: Faculty of Industrial Engineering, Robotics, and Production Management, Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, 400114 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Claudiu Ioan Abrudan: Faculty of Industrial Engineering, Robotics, and Production Management, Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, 400114 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Laura Bacali: Faculty of Industrial Engineering, Robotics, and Production Management, Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, 400114 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Nicolae Bâlc: Faculty of Industrial Engineering, Robotics, and Production Management, Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, 400114 Cluj-Napoca, Romania

Administrative Sciences, 2025, vol. 15, issue 9, 1-21

Abstract: Organizations face rising market volatility, while legacy, plan-driven structures struggle to translate strategy into adaptive execution. Prior studies discuss product-centric operating models, yet typically treat decision rights, product definition, and technology-enabled execution separately. This paper introduces the WHO–WHAT–HOW framework, an authorial synthesis that links decision boundaries (WHO), product scope and value hypotheses (WHAT), and workflow and technology routines (HOW) into a single, operational model. A triangulated design is employed, comprising a systematic document analysis of 62 sources published between 2018 and 2024, illustrative case studies of Amazon and Spotify, and a scenario-based organizational illustration that contrasts a baseline hierarchy with a WHO–WHAT–HOW configuration. Rather than constituting empirical validation, these elements serve as illustrative demonstrations of conceptual plausibility. Indicative composite indices, synthetically constructed from document-coded constructs and simulated rules, suggest improvements in decision speed, cycle time, and coordination; these indices are heuristic and non-inferential. The contribution is threefold: First, it provides a pragmatic five-step implementation roadmap. Then, we make the mechanisms concrete via a construct-to-rule mapping and three rule-based vignettes (incident pathway, value-hypothesis experiment, cross-team dependency), showing how WHO–WHAT–HOW compresses decision time, cycle time, and coordination without introducing new measurement programs. Finally, the composite indices remain heuristic and non-inferential. Limitations include reliance on secondary evidence and a scenario-based, non-empirical illustration; robust validation requires longitudinal, multi-sector primary data and testing in regulated or low-automation settings.

Keywords: product operating model; strategic alignment; agile execution; digital transformation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: L M M0 M1 M10 M11 M12 M14 M15 M16 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3387/15/9/368/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3387/15/9/368/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jadmsc:v:15:y:2025:i:9:p:368-:d:1751258

Access Statistics for this article

Administrative Sciences is currently edited by Ms. Nancy Ma

More articles in Administrative Sciences from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().