Henning de Haas

Exploring supply chain innovation

Supply chain management promises competitive advantages for industrial organizations. The introduction of new products and services, or entry into new markets, is likely to be more successful if accompanied by innovative supply chain designs, innovative supply chain management practices, and enabling technology. This is a widely accepted premise in business practice today. However, systematic research and knowledge about supply chain innovation (SCI) is little developed. There is a lack of common terminology, of agreement about the conceptual understanding, and of related empirical work. This paper presents an exploratory study that aims to provide a better understanding of SCI, mirroring leading edge practice, and providing a sound terminological and conceptual basis for advanced academic work in the field. The research is based on an in-depth literature review and the analysis of a set of secondary data sources: 36 SCI cases, drawn from applications for the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals’ (CSCMP) Supply Chain Innovation Award. As results of the research, a new SCI definition, the construction of a descriptive model of its key elements, and discussion of implications are presented.

Improved change readiness through supply chain competency development

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report on the experiences from a number of two‐day courses in fundamentals of supply chain management completed for about 200 employees in a case company. The courses were held in order to increase the organisations competency level and by this prepare people for changes. The paper aims to test whether this course has had an effect on the implementation process and participants taking part in the course.Design/methodology/approach – Applies two sets of questionnaires. The first questionnaire consists of evaluation sheets that were handed out to the participants and filled out at the end of each course. The second questionnaire was distributed by e‐mail to the participants of the completed courses.Findings – Provides evidence for the possibility to construct and complete a supply chain course that could increase competency level and change readiness.Practical implications – It takes time to obtain a common understanding of technical terms, concepts and the mechani...