Collaboration in the Supply Chain
Supervisor: Richard Wilding BSc PhD CEng Eur Ing FIET FCILT FHEA
A "hot topic" for procurement managers and supply chain managers is the increasing recognition that competition is no longer between individual organisations but between the supply chains or supply networks they are part of. Thus, effective and appropriate collaborative relationships are critical to gaining competitive advantage. Previous research undertaken at Cranfield School of Management investigated the drivers for success and failure in 54 long-term relationships. This research demonstrated that often a cycle of failure within the relationship could develop, creating a situation where neither party would gain advantage and where the supply chain was therefore highly sub-optimal.
Potential research topics include:
- Power, risk, and value sharing in collaborative business-to-business relationships.
- Leadership in the supply chain: what is the impact of leadership, organisation structure and culture on the success of collaborative relationships?
- Do traditional procurement practices suit a collaborative environment?
- Partner selection and the effective management of collaborative relationships, including performance indicators (KPIs).
- The nature of long-term collaborative relationships within competitive supply chain environments, identifying common principles and key differences which will help organisations from a variety of sectors to improve collaborative relationships thus creating competitive advantage for all the "players" within the supply chain.
Contact Details:
Prof Dr Richard Wilding Tel: 01234 754829 email:r.d.wilding@cranfield.ac.uk