Towards strategic sustainability: the barriers and enablers of supplier involvement in product stewardship and clean technology strategies

Many of today’s firms see sustainability as an exercise in reducing costs and minimizing risk. These organizations use pollution control or prevention techniques to limit the amount of waste in products or processes. By drawing on the Natural Resource Based View this paper calls for a more strategic approach to sustainability; one which moves beyond pollution prevention towards product stewardship and clean technology strategies. Specifically, the paper argues that suppliers should be involved in embedding product stewardship and clean technology strategies in a firm’s new product development process to achieve a competitive advantage. To make this argument, the paper uses an in-depth case study of a high technology firm in the aerospace industry. The case study extends past the boundaries of the firm to include an examination of a supplier and customer, termed a triadic case study design. A triangulated data collection approach is used including forty-two semi-structured interviews, eight focus groups and secondary data. A theoretical contribution is made by determining how technological uncertainty affects supplier involvement in embedding product stewardship and clean technology strategies in new product development efforts. Practically, the paper advances a matrix to assist managers in deciding on appropriate types of supplier relationships when pursing a product stewardship or clean technology strategy

Incremental and radical eco-innovations: routes for discovery and development

This paper presents the findings of an in-depth case study of a UK aerospace firm. Drawing on the Natural Resource Based View, we categorise the environmental capabilities of pollution prevention and product stewardship as incremental eco-innovations and clean technologies as radical eco-innovations. We select three new technology development projects as embedded units of analysis, each representing one of the NRBV’s environmental capabilities. Using cross case comparisons, we identify barriers and enablers for incremental and radical eco-innovation development. We conclude that when the final product is complex, such as aerospace design, eco-innovations are developed in parallel with new product development teams co-developing knowledge using a process of embeddedness

A framework for the adoption of redistributed manufacturing in pharmaceutical supply chains

This paper explores the adoption of redistributed manufacturing strategies by UK pharmaceutical firms. A multiple case study of six firms is coupled with expert opinion from academics in the fields of innovation, life sciences, pharmaceuticals and additive manufacturing. A triangulated data collection strategy is used including twenty-five semi-structured interviews, eight focus groups and primary documentation. Drawing on adoption theory we identify the enablers of and barriers to the adoption of redistributed manufacturing strategies. The findings suggest that redistributed manufacturing will not replace existing supply chain configurations but instead complement them. Several potential niche applications for redistributed manufacturing are identifie

Understanding the emergence of redistributed manufacturing: an ambidexterity perspective

The purpose of this paper is to extend operations management theory concerning efficiency and flexibility trade-offs to the emergent phenomenon of redistributed manufacturing (RDM). The study adopts a multiple case design including five small and five large pharmaceutical firms. By synthesising the research findings and extant literature we propose organisations can gain the efficiency benefits of centralised manufacturing and the flexibility advantages of RDM by building an ambidexterity capability. To build such a capability, large firms can structurally partition their manufacturing and supply management functions, with one sub-unit managing centralised production and the other RDM. Small and medium enterprises can build an ambidexterity capability by creating the right organisational context, one in which a multi-skilled workforce switches between efficient and flexible tasks. This paper contributes to theory by explaining the emergence of RDM using an organisational ambidexterity lens, laying the groundwork for new theory development in the field. The paper contributes to managerial thinking by providing practical examples of how managers can build an ambidexterity capability to realise flexibility and efficiency advantages

A framework for sustainable supply networks: alternative routes for the identification of sustainability-oriented innovations in industrial supply networks

This article presents a conceptual framework for Sustainable Supply Networks. To build this framework, we reviewed existing sustainability frameworks and found that innovation was highlighted as a key factor in sustainability. However, we also found little consideration given to how to discover innovations that address sustainability issues. Through an examination of the Supply Chain Management and Network literature, we uncovered three alternative and sometimes contradictory routes to discovering Sustainability-Oriented Innovation. The Supply Chain Management literature proposes strong ties with a few strategic suppliers to benefit from the knowledge and technology that spills over from supplier to the firm during the New Product Development process. In contrast, the network literature calls for the creation of multiple weak ties to non-strategic suppliers to increase the opportunities for identifying innovation. The network literature further suggests a third and potentially more promising route: building weak ties to suppliers that bridge structural holes in the network. We posit that strong ties with strategic suppliers will lead to the development of incremental Sustainability-Oriented Innovations, whilst weak ties with multiple suppliers and with suppliers that bridge structural holes will tend to lead to radical Sustainability-Oriented Innovations. Finally, we suggest that once Sustainability-Oriented Innovations are identified, they should be transferred to other suppliers and implemented in their operations to increase the sustainability performance of the focal fir

Dynamic supply chain capabilities: how market sensing, supply chain agility and adaptability affect supply chain ambidexterity

Purpose: This paper positions market sensing, supply chain agility and supply chain adaptability as a coherent cluster of dynamic supply chain capabilities. The purpose of the paper is to understand how dynamic supply chain capabilities interrelate and their effect on supply chain ambidexterity. Design/methodology/approach: Based on a survey of Pakistani manufacturing firms, a theoretically-derived model was tested in a structural equation model. Findings: The results of the study show that a market-sensing capability is an antecedent of supply chain agility and supply chain adaptability. Furthermore, supply chain agility, directly, and supply chain adaptability, indirectly, affect supply chain ambidexterity. Supply chain agility therefore mediates the relationship between supply chain adaptability and supply chain ambidexterity. Originality/value: The contribution of this study lies in: (1) identifying dynamic capability clusters relevant for achieving supply chain ambidexterity;(2) evaluating performance implications of dynamic capabilities in the supply chain, specifically supply chain agility and adaptability; and (3) proposing a unique measurement of supply chain ambidexterity in the light supply chain theory, and empirically evaluating the relationship between dynamic capabilities and supply chain ambidexterity

The social preferences of local citizens and spontaneous volunteerism during disaster relief operations

Existing studies on disaster relief operations (DRO) pay limited attention to acts of spontaneous volunteerism by local citizens in the aftermath of disasters. The purpose of this paper is to explore how social preferences motivate citizens to help during post-disaster situations; above and beyond their own self-regarding interests. The paper begins by synthesizing the literature on social preferences from the field of behavioral economics and social psychology with the discourse surrounding behavioral operations management and humanitarian operations management (HOM). By doing so, we identify the motivators, enablers and barriers of local citizen response during disaster relief operations. These factors inform a theoretical framework of the social preferences motivating spontaneous volunteerism in post-disaster situations. We evidence facets of the framework using archival and unstructured data retrieved from Twitter feeds generated by local citizens during the floods that hit Chennai, India in 2015. Our model highlights the importance of individual level action during disaster relief operations and the enabling role of social media as a coordination mechanism for such efforts

Determining the antecedents of dynamic supply chain capabilities

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to determine the antecedents of dynamic supply chain capabilities (DSCCs). The authors test entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and supply chain learning orientation (SCLO) as two antecedents of DSCCs. Design/methodology/approach The paper uses structural equation modelling to test a hypothetical model. Data are gathered from a survey of 275 operations managers in Pakistan’s turbulent manufacturing industry. Findings The findings suggest that the weaker direct effects of EO, in comparison to the indirect effects, indicate that an SCLO mediates the relationship between EO and DSCCs. Research limitations/implications It is widely accepted that firms do not compete with each other, instead, it is end-to-end supply chains that fight for market dominance. Many scholars use the dynamic capabilities view to understand supply chain level competition. However, the dynamic capabilities view is firm-centric in its examination of how companies transform internal resources to compete in the external environment. The theoretical contribution of this paper is a roadmap of how to build dynamic, supply-chain level and capabilities by determining the key antecedents. This paper explains that DSCCs emerge when buyers and suppliers share strategic orientations. Firms with an EO and the ability to learn with supply chain partners are well-positioned to develop DSCCs. This provides a new angle to theory testing by indicating that dynamic capabilities are enabled by an EO and an ability to learn with supply chain partners. Practical implications Managers are given the building blocks of DSCCs, starting with fostering an entrepreneurially-oriented mindset in the company and then learning with supply chain partners. Entrepreneurially-oriented managers are encouraged to take risks and co-develop innovative ideas with suppliers during the supply chain learning process. Originality/value This study is one of the earliest efforts to determine the strategic orientations that antecede the emergence of DSCCs

Using not-for-profit innovation networks to transition new technologies across the Valley of Death

Purpose This paper aims to seek answers to the question: What are the relevant factors that allow not-for-profit innovation networks to successfully transition new technologies from proof-of-concept to commercialisation? Design/methodology/approach This question is examined using the knowledge-based view and network orchestration theory. Data are collected from 35 interviews with managers and engineers working within seven centres that comprise the High Value Manufacturing Catapult (HVMC). These centres constitute a not-for-profit innovation network where suppliers, customers and competitors collaborate to help transition new technologies across the “Valley of Death” (the gap between establishing a proof of concept and commercialisation). Findings Network orchestration theory suggests that a hub firm facilitates the exchange of knowledge amongst network members (knowledge mobility), to enable these members to profit from innovation (innovation appropriability). The hub firm ensures positive network growth, and also allows for the entry and exit of network members (network stability). This study of not-for-profit innovation networks suggests the role of a network orchestrator is to help ensure that intellectual property becomes a public resource that enhances the productivity of the domestic economy. The authors observed how network stability was achieved by the HVMC's seven centres employing a loosely-coupled hybrid network configuration. This configuration however ensured that new technology development teams, comprised of suppliers, customers and competitors, remained tightly-coupled to enable co-development of innovative technologies. Matching internal technical and sectoral expertise with complementary experience from network members allowed knowledge to flow across organisational boundaries and throughout the network. Matrix organisational structures and distributed decision-making authority created opportunities for knowledge integration to occur. Actively moving individuals and teams between centres also helped to diffuse knowledge to network members, while regular meetings between senior management ensured network coordination and removed resource redundancies. Originality/value The study contributes to knowledge-based theory by moving beyond existing understanding of knowledge integration in firms, and identified how knowledge is exchanged and aggregated within not-for-profit innovation networks. The findings contribute to network orchestration theory by challenging the notion that network orchestrators should enact and enforce appropriability regimes (patents, licences, copyrights) to allow members to profit from innovations. Instead, the authors find that not-for-profit innovation networks can overcome the frictions that appropriability regimes often create when exchanging knowledge during new technology development. This is achieved by pre-defining the terms of network membership/partnership and setting out clear pathways for innovation scaling, which embodies newly generated intellectual property as a public resource. The findings inform a framework that is useful for policy makers, academics and managers interested in using not-for-profit networks to transition new technologies across the Valley of Death