Journal of Korean Society for Quality Management (품질경영학회지)

Korean Society for Quality Management (한국품질경영학회)
권호 표지
DOI QR코드

DOI QR Code

Peeking Inside The Black-box of Supplier Integration for New Product Development: Salespersons' Coordinating and Regulating Behaviors

신제품 개발을 위한 공급자 통합에 관한 연구: 영업사원의 조정 및 규제 행동의 관점으로

  • Oh, Jaeyoung (Department of Finance and Supply Chain, Central Washington University)
  • 오재영 (Central Washington University, 경영대학 공급사슬관리학과)
  • Received : 2022.03.15
  • Accepted : 2022.04.20
  • Published : 2022.06.30
Download PDF
⟨ Previous Next ⟩

Abstract

Purpose: This study investigates how the salespersons behave in coordinating the multiple communication channels during supplier integration (SI) for new product development (NPD), especially when their engineers directly collaborate with the buyer. Methods: This study conducted a qualitative study to explore the dynamics of the supplier's salespersons during SI for NPD. With the support of a consumer goods manufacturer (focal firm) in South Korea, we interviewed several managers, including purchasing and engineering, from the focal firm and salespersons from eight tier-1 suppliers of the focal firm. Results: The results found that the supplier's salespersons show two different behaviors toward managing and controlling the collaboration between their engineers and the buyer: (1) Process regulating behaviors that control the flows of information or communication between the engineers and the buyer, and (2) knowledge regulating behaviors that directly and indirectly support the engineers to be equipped with accurate and complete knowledge so that they can share the right knowledge with the buyer. Conclusion: This study contributes to academia and practitioners as follows. To academia, this study fill the gap in the literature by introducing the distinct behaviors of the supplier's salesperson in SI for NPD. To practitioner, in addition, our findings present coordination mechanisms to manage and control multiple communications within an inter-organizational collaboration.

Keywords

References

  1. Barratt, M., Choi, T. Y., & Li, M. 2011. Qualitative case studies in operations management: Trends, research outcomes, and future research implications. Journal of Operations Management 29(4):329-342. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jom.2010.06.002
  2. Basole, R.C. and Bellamy, M.A. 2014. Supply Network Structure, Visibility, and Risk Diffusion: A Computational Approach. Decision Sciences 45(4):753-89. https://doi.org/10.1111/deci.12099
  3. Bellamy, M. A., Ghosh, S., & Hora, M. 2014. The influence of supply network structure on firm innovation. Journal of Operations Management 32(6):357-373. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jom.2014.06.004
  4. Carter, J.R. and Miller, J. 1989. The Impact of Alternative Vendor/ Buyer Communication Structures on the Quality of Purchased Materials. Decision Sciences 20(4):759-76. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-5915.1989.tb01418.x
  5. Chong, H. R., Bae, K. H., Lee, M. K., Kwon, H. M., & Hong, S. H. 2020. Quality strategy for building a smart factory in the fourth industrial revolution. Journal of the Korean Society for Quality Management 48(1):87-105. https://doi.org/10.7469/JKSQM.2020.48.1.87
  6. Duhaylongsod, J. B. & De Giovanni, P. 2019. The impact of innovation strategies on the relationship between supplier integration and operational performance. International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management 49(2):156-177. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPDLM-09-2017-0269
  7. Eisenhardt, K. M. 1989. Making fast strategic decisions in high-velocity environments. Academy of Management Journal 32(3):543-576. https://doi.org/10.2307/256434
  8. Gligor, D. M. & Autry, C. W. 2012. The role of personal relationships in facilitating supply chain communications: A qualitative study. Journal of Supply Chain Management 48(1):24-43. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-493X.2011.03240.x
  9. Gonzalez, G. R. & Claro, D. P. 2019. How intrafirm intermediary salespeople connect sales to marketing and product development. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 47(5):795-814. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-019-00656-8
  10. Hepher, T. 2018. Boeing to make aircraft seats with car supplier Adient to cut delays - Business Insider. Business Inside.
  11. Jean, R. J. B., Sinkovics, R. R., and Hiebaum, T. P. 2014. The effects of supplier involvement and knowledge protection on product innovation in customer-supplier relationships: A study of global automotive suppliers in China. Journal of Product Innovation Management 31(1):98-113. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpim.12082
  12. Koufteros, X. A., Cheng, T. E., & Lai, K. H. 2007. Black-box and gray-box supplier integration in product develop- ment: Antecedents, consequences and the moderating role of firm size. Journal of Operations Management 25(4):847-870. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jom.2006.10.009
  13. Kull, T. J., Ellis, S. C., & Narasimhan, R. 2013. Reducing behavioral constraints to supplier integration: A socio-technical systems perspective. Journal of Supply Chain Management 49(1):64-86. https://doi.org/10.1111/jscm.12002
  14. La Rocca, A., Moscatelli, P., Perna, A., & Snehota, I. 2016. Customer involvement in new product development in B2B: The role of sales. Industrial Marketing Management 58, 45-57. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2016.05.014
  15. Lee, C. W., Shin, Y. H., Shang, M., & Ryu, Y. S. 2020. A Study on Improvement of Organizational Culture of the Members of Manufacturing and Service industry Quality Control: Focused on Mediation Effect of Job Satisfaction. Journal of the Korean Society for Quality Management 48(1):29-50. https://doi.org/10.7469/JKSQM.2020.48.1.29
  16. Malshe, A. & Biemans, W. 2014. The role of sales in NPD: An investigation of the US health-care industry. Journal of Product Innovation Management 31(4):664-679. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpim.12159
  17. Murtha, B. R., Challagalla, G., & Kohli, A. K. 2011. The threat from within: Account managers' concern about opportunism by their own team members. Management Science 57(9):1580-1593. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.1100.1298
  18. Panagopoulos, N. G., Rapp, A. A., & Ogilvie, J. L. 2017. Salesperson solution involvement and sales performance: The contingent role of supplier firm and customer-supplier relationship characteristics. Journal of Marketing 81(4):144-164. https://doi.org/10.1509/jm.15.0342
  19. Park, J. Y., Oh, S. J., & Kim, S. W. 2011. Causal Relationship of Infra, Process and Firm Performance on Supply Chain Quality Management. Journal of the Korean Society for Quality Management 39(4):464-479. https://doi.org/10.7469/JKSQM.2011.39.4.464
  20. Petersen, K.J, Handfield, R.B., Lawson, B., and Cousins, P.D. 2008. Buyer Dependency and Relational Capital Formation: The Mediating Effects of Socialization Processes and Supplier Integration. Journal of Supply Chain Management 44(4):53-65. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-493X.2008.00072.x
  21. Stanczyk, A., Foerstl, K., Busse, C., & Blome, C. 2015. Global sourcing decision-making processes: Politics, intuition, and procedural rationality. Journal of Business Logistics 36(2):160-181. https://doi.org/10.1111/jbl.12090
  22. Storbacka, K., Ryals, L., Davies, I. A., and Nenonen, S. 2009. The changing role of sales: viewing sales as a strategic, cross-functional process. European Journal of Marketing 43(7/8):890-906. https://doi.org/10.1108/03090560910961443
  23. Strauss, A., Corbin, J. 1990. Basics of Qualitative Research. Sage publications.
  24. Suurmond, R., Wynstra, F., & Dul, J. 2020. Unraveling the Dimensions of Supplier Involvement and their Effects on NPD Performance: A Meta-Analysis. Journal of Supply Chain Management 56(3):26-46. https://doi.org/10.1111/jscm.12221
  25. Ulaga, W. and Kohli, A. K. 2018. The role of a solutions salesperson: Reducing uncertainty and fostering adaptiveness. Industrial Marketing Management 69:161-168. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2017.11.008
  26. Van Den Berg, W. E., Verbeke, W., Bagozzi, R. P., Worm, L., De Jong, A., and Nijssen, E. 2014. Salespersons as internal knowledge brokers and new products selling: Discovering the link to genetic makeup. Journal of Product Innovation Management 31(4):695-709. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpim.12156
  27. Voss, C., Tsikriktsis, N., & Frohlich, M. 2002. Case research in operations management. International Journal of Operations & Production Management 22(2):195-219. https://doi.org/10.1108/01443570210414329
  28. Yan, T. & Dooley, K. 2014. Buyer-supplier collaboration quality in new product development projects. Journal of Supply Chain Management 50(2):59-83. https://doi.org/10.1111/jscm.12032
  29. Yin, R. K. 2009. Case study research: Design and methods (Vol. 5). sage.