Effective supplier collaboration in knowledge-intensive product realisation

Collaboration with external suppliers in knowledge-intensive product realisation requires treatment of commercial, technical, and organisational issues and integration of the suppliers knowledge in the customers product realisation process. Previous research has focused on simple coordination of supplier involvement without considering sophisticated processes which are necessary when the suppliers and customers knowledge is integrated. The purpose of this project is to investigate the conditions, aspects, processes and organisational forms for knowledge integration across companies.

The project will contribute with increased insights into the conditions for knowledge integration, knowledge processes and possible organisational forms for knowledge integration across companies. This results in better management of the product realisation process and increased success of interorganizational collaboration in product realisation. This will impact product effectiveness in terms of innovation as well as process efficiency. Research results will be integrated in a model focusing on conditions, central aspects, and organisational forms for knowledge integration across companies.

The study builds on quantitative and qualitative approaches. The quantitative part consists of a survey performed in collaboration with researchers from 10 different countries. The qualitative part includes case studies at the partner companies focusing on the customers perspective, and a quasi-experimental study, isolating certain factors and including the customers as well as the suppliers perspective