Supplier Innovation Strategy and Performance: A Matter of Supply Chain Market Positioning

Alan W. Mackelprang, Ednilson Bernardes, Gerard J. Burke, Chris Welter

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

32 Scopus citations

Abstract

Extant research consistently illustrates the positive benefits customers get from having more innovative suppliers. However, do suppliers benefit financially from positioning themselves as leading innovators? Utilizing a secondary dataset of 1039 supplier to customer base observations, and grounding our study in the structure-conduct-performance framework, we examine the extent to which suppliers are able to benefit from pursuing a more leading or lagging innovation strategy within their industry. While in general we find that suppliers employing a leading innovator strategy have higher levels of financial performance, such an effect is not universal. Rather, the ability of the supplying firm to leverage their innovation strategy into increased performance is highly contingent upon not only the innovation levels of their own industry, but also the innovation levels of the industries which they supply. Our results, therefore, suggest that it would be advantageous for suppliers to take a supply chain perspective and strategically incorporate the innovation characteristics of their customers when determining whether to pursue a leading or lagging innovation strategy.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)660-689
Number of pages30
JournalDecision Sciences
Volume49
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 2018

Scopus Subject Areas

  • Information Systems and Management
  • General Business, Management and Accounting
  • Management of Technology and Innovation
  • Strategy and Management

Keywords

  • Innovation
  • Innovation Strategy
  • R&D Investment
  • Secondary Data
  • Strategic Positioning
  • Supply Chain

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