Innovation and collaboration in traditional food chain networks

Abstract

This paper aims to explore innovations implemented by SMEs in the traditional food sector and how chain network members are contributing to this process. Focus group discussions and in-depth interviews were conducted with suppliers, food manufacturers and customers in three European countries with different cultural backgrounds (Italy, Hungary and Belgium). The results show that the members of traditional food chain networks focus mainly on product innovation and least on organisational innovation. Collaboration between the chain network members is an important factor for enhancing the innovation competence of the firms. However, the collaboration intensity depends on the position of the members in the chain network. Further studies could focus on quantitative research to determine whether a higher level of collaboration among all chain network members leads to a higher level of innovation competence in SMEs. Moreover, the direction of the relationship between innovation competence and collaboration should be explored

Collaborative innovation in the Pakistan’s dairy industry: effectiveness of managerial leadership and organizational readiness

“…Traill and Meulenberg (2002) argue that profitability in the food industry largely depends on responding to customer demands by product and process innovation, but innovation remains a complex and challenging process to be managed effectively in food industries (Earle 1997;Sarkar & Costa 2008). Inter-organizational relationships contribute to innovation as food businesses are increasingly dependent on external resources and competencies for both product and process innovation (Gellynck & Kühne 2008;Soosay et al 2008;Kühne et al 2013). To be successful with innovation in the food industry, organizations need to know how to collaborate with external organizations such as suppliers (Roy et al 2004;Colurcio & Russo-Spena 2013).…”

“…Innovation in food industry is largely determined by the quality of inter-organizational relationships (Gellynck & Kühne 2008;Soosay et al 2008;Kühne et al 2013). The quality of interorganizational relationship is determined by organization-wide orientations such as collaborative capability (Miles et al 2000;Blomqvist & Levy 2006).…”

“…As such, the buyer-supplier interface is an underutilized but valuable source to leverage resources and capabilities for innovation in the context of a food industry (Gellynck & Kühne 2008;Kühne et al 2013).…”

“…Such strategic orientations become instrumental to manage the richness and scope of complementary knowledge and competencies of supply chain members for generating innovation (Gellynck & Kühne 2008;Kühne et al 2013). As such, scholars are conceptualizing several ways to examine what determines innovation through inter-organizational relationships in the food industry by following the logic of these two strategic orientations (Gellynck & Kühne 2008;Colurcio & Russo-Spena 2013). Miles et al (2000) argued that management of collaborative innovation is fundamentally different from the process of innovation management.…”

“…Despite the progress in understanding these two strategic orientations, however, the conceptual imprecision still prevails with little empirical support (e.g. Gellynck & Kühne 2008;Kühne et al 2013). For example, little is known about the internal processes that enable organizations to develop such strategic orientations.…”