L’impiego del EFQM Business Excellence Model nella misura delle performance degli approvvigionamenti. Uno studio quantitativo

Il presente lavoro si pone l’obiettivo di testare uno strumento di self-assessment ispirato all’EFQM Business Excellence Model e sviluppato per supportare le aziende nel miglioramento continuo dei loro processi di approvvigionamento. L’articolo dimostra come il sistema di enablers e results che caratterizza l’EFQM Business Excellence Model possa costituire un valido riferimento per la valutazione del grado di maturità degli enti preposti alla gestione dei processi di sourcing e per guidare il complesso di azioni che possono condurre ad un miglioramento delle performance negli approvvigionamenti

Making sense of the impact of the internet of things on Purchasing and Supply Management: A tension perspective

The Internet of Things (IoT) is transforming how industries operate. It impacts on firms’ supply networks, business processes and business models. This article describes how the IoT influences the Purchasing and Supply Management (PSM) function. Our findings based on interviews and workshop with more than 200 senior European purchasing managers from large corporations suggest that PSM has opportunities to support the development of IoT solutions within firms which are required to work with dynamic and complex markets. At the same time, the IoT supports the development of a more capable and efficient PSM organisation. As part of this early stage theory building effort, we outline scenarios for the future of the PSM function. This leads us to reflect on how PSM leaders manage IoT-related tensions by means of differentiation and integration tactics

How to Harness Open Technologies for Digital Platform Advantage

As businesses reorganize around platforms, shared digital infrastructures are becoming increasingly important to build competitive advantage. Ecosystems of open software and hardware technologies, known as “technology commons,” are increasingly dominating the lower levels of digital infrastructures (i.e., below the user-interface level). To leverage technology commons for platform advantage, businesses need to play the “digital commons ecosystem game.” We highlight the motivations and four strategic maneuvers for playing this game, present a five-level strategic roadmap for mastering the game and provide recommendation on who should play it

How to Harness Open Technologies for Digital Platform Advantage

As businesses reorganize around platforms, shared digital infrastructures are becoming increasingly important to build competitive advantage. Ecosystems of open software and hardware technologies, known as “technology commons,” are increasingly dominating the lower levels of digital infrastructures (i.e., below the user-interface level). To leverage technology commons for platform advantage, businesses need to play the “digital commons ecosystem game.” We highlight the motivations and four strategic maneuvers for playing this game, present a five-level strategic roadmap for mastering the game and provide recommendation on who should play it

Exploration and exploitation within supply networks: Examining purchasing ambidexterity and its multiple performance implications

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to introduce and define the concept of purchasing ambidexterity in terms of two dimensions: balance dimension and combined dimension. The study proceeds to empirically examine the multiple performance effects generated for the buying firm and its key suppliers. Design/methodology/approach: Ambidexterity theory informs the authors’ conceptual model. To test the hypotheses, the authors collected survey data from 95 purchasing functions of medium and large European firms and applied various estimation techniques. Findings: This research indicates that ambidexterity substantially varies across purchasing functions. Further, it discovers that a purchasing function’s ability to advance the combined magnitude of exploratory and exploitative activities represents an essential determinant of supplier efficiency, supplier product innovation, and buyer financial performance. Notably, this research also discovers that balancing the magnitudes of exploratory and exploitative activities on a relative basis produces negative effects on the innovativeness of the supply network. Originality/value: Although ambidexterity theory has been applied to supply chain management, limited attention has been dedicated to purchasing ambidexterity. This gap led us to study how purchasing impacts the competitiveness of the buying firm and of its supply network by balancing and combining exploratory and exploitative activities. This research is the first to advance the notion of purchasing ambidexterity, unpack its underlying dimensions, and examine its multiple performance implications. Such a conceptual and empirical development presents new perspectives on how purchasing can help the buying firm and its supply network to strengthen their competitiveness

Yes! Purchasing can create and capture value. A study of purchasing capabilities and impact on Business Performance

This paper makes two contributions. First, building on ambidexterity literature, we investigate how purchasing functions can simultaneously explore and exploit opportunities, facilitating innovation while maintaining efficiency. This led us to define three purchasing capabilities: gathering unmet needs, exploring opportunities in the supply ecosystem, and tapping suppliers’ potential for innovation. Second, we tested for the existence of such capabilities and their impact on a company’s financial and commercial performance by means of a survey approach. Our analysis provides evidence of an emergent taxonomy of purchasing functions based on patterns of capabilities. Also, we tested the impact such capabilities have on a companies’ business performance