Strategy–enabler congruence in customised assembly: Empirical evidence from AEC mass customisation

AEC mass customisation studies give limited attention to how specific enabler configurations support specific customisation strategies. This paper examines customised assembly by developing Strategy–Enabler Congruence (SEC) as a lens for assessing the structural coverage of the primary strategy-enabler set. For customised assembly, this set comprises product platform development, IT-based product configuration and digital integration. Based on four configuration vignettes derived from seven expert interviews, the findings show variation in structural coverage and identify two implementation patterns: congruence and compensation. Greater structural coverage may provide a stronger basis for repeatability, coordination and scaling, while reported outcomes are also shaped by enabler interaction, operability and Technology–Organisation–Environment (TOE) conditions.