Form postponement types and market contingencies: a configuration theory

Form Postponement literature makes simplistic assumptions as to the market contingencies under which FP is appropriate and almost ignores FP in MTO contexts. Unsurprisingly, a theory predicting and explaining FP ability to create operations-based competitive advantage is still missing. We argue that to reconnect FP to the operations strategy discourse, four FP types should be distinguished, each applying to either MTS or MTO contexts. We also indicate the specific combination of customer requirements for customization and responsiveness that maximizes the value-creating ability of each FP type.