Rob Dekkers and Hermann Kühnle
Progress in theory building in the field of collaborative networks in manufacturing is preponderantly seen in contributions from disciplines outside manufacturing science…
Abstract
Purpose
Progress in theory building in the field of collaborative networks in manufacturing is preponderantly seen in contributions from disciplines outside manufacturing science. Interdisciplinary research is one way of accelerating the development of appropriate theory for this emerging domain where industrial practice has moved beyond the state of the art of scientific knowledge for establishing workable, competitive solutions. The purpose of this paper is to examine to what extent interdisciplinary research has contributed to a better understanding of collaborative (manufacturing) networks.
Design/methodology/approach
To find out more about provenances of on‐going studies, to identify clusters of contributions and to provide direction for future work of researchers in this domain, publications of the past 22 years have been evaluated. To retrieve these contributions, a structured literature review has been undertaken by applying keywords to selected databases and using a strictly defined stepwise procedure. In total, 202 publications of all kinds have been evaluated.
Findings
From the analysis of the results, it appears that most interdisciplinary contributions to collaborative (manufacturing) networks rely on one original outside discipline for either developing solutions or advancing theoretical insight. Consequently, and after further analysis, it seems that researchers in collaborative networks hardly resort to multi‐disciplinary approaches, unless “natural”; further advances might arrive from stimulating these multi‐disciplinary avenues rather than sticking to more mono‐disciplinary, and less risky, takes on both applications and theoretical insight. A more detailed investigation of the value of contributions reveals that efforts to make interdisciplinary advances are either difficult or limited. Also, the findings indicate that researchers tend to follow a more “technical” approach to decision making by actors in networks rather than searching for a shift in paradigm.
Originality/value
While setting out these directions for future research and guiding research, this first‐of‐its‐kind review introduces the collaboration model as a systematic approach to collaborative (manufacturing) networks. This model might serve as a reference model to integrate disciplines for addressing the characteristics of Collaborative Networks. Its use in the review led to the finding that typical traits of networks, such as changeability, supplementary assets and decentralisation of decision making, are under‐researched.
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Hermann Kühnle and Rob Dekkers
Scientific progress in a field is mostly discussed within disciplines. Far less attention is paid to outside or between disciplines' work. To speed up research progresses for…
Abstract
Purpose
Scientific progress in a field is mostly discussed within disciplines. Far less attention is paid to outside or between disciplines' work. To speed up research progresses for collaborative networks (CN) in manufacturing, a base for further grounded theory establishment is propagated, recalling some of the most relevant chapters of philosophy of science. The focus is put onto the roles of disciplines and their scholars involved in interdisciplinary contexts, in order to further motivate as well as to hint at a number of catalysing forces and fruitful impacts of outside disciplines' work.
Design/methodology/approach
The intentions of this Special Issue are mirrored to important and well‐accepted findings in the philosophy of science. All papers that are included in this journal issue are positioned within a general framework of scientific disciplines and theory building understanding.
Findings
Interdisciplinary work is speeding up theory building and innovation in CNs in general and in all applications for manufacturing in particular. In order to encourage publications of project work and solutions that do not neatly fit into the scientific disciplines set up, it is pointed out that exactly these papers have the potential to unveil unattended and valuable insights. This kind of outline often confirms both gut feelings of managers, as well as vague hypotheses of researchers and scientists.
Research limitations/implications
The paper shows that more attention might be paid to outside contributions and to mechanisms to increase their impact on theory building in manufacturing science.
Originality/value
For the field of CN, the paper represents a first and unique attempt to enhance scientific progress by emphasising theory contributions from other disciplines. The approach contributes to theoretically as well as methodically supporting the fast growing number of practical solutions beyond state of art.
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The theories of transaction‐cost economics, the resource‐based view and the core competencies approach have been used extensively to justify the rationale behind strategic…
Abstract
Purpose
The theories of transaction‐cost economics, the resource‐based view and the core competencies approach have been used extensively to justify the rationale behind strategic decisions on outsourcing, but their validity has not been investigated yet in comparative empirical research. Additionally, no study has examined the operational effects of these decisions in‐depth. The purpose of this paper is to fill these two gaps in the academic literature.
Design/methodology/approach
A literature review confirms the existence of these gaps and informs hypotheses based on the three theories. Additionally, the model for continuous decision making on outsourcing is used to systematically collect data from five cases studies. The cases – all make‐to‐order or engineering‐to‐order – have been analysed on effects for operational performance and control resulting from strategic decision making on outsourcing.
Findings
From this evaluation, it appears that these companies perform weakly on the control of the outsourced activities. Furthermore, it seems that the (manufacturing) strategy is disconnected from outsourcing practices and that outsourcing hardly contributes to competitive advantage. Moreover, from some of the case studies it appears that the decision for strategic outsourcing is irreversible. Finally, traditional criteria and behaviour during decision making prevail, i.e. a cost‐driven perspective, which does not address contemporary challenges.
Research limitations/implications
Despite being explorative and based on only five cases, these findings indicate that strategic decision making on outsourcing based on the three theories insufficiently accounts for operational issues that emerge later during manufacturing; it might be necessary to revise the theoretical base for outsourcing to include management of outsourced manufacturing activities.
Practical implications
The findings imply also that managers in companies, in any case those firms that operate on the basis of make‐to‐order or engineering‐to‐order, should be less “rushed” into strategic decision making on outsourcing that has adverse effects. Rather, outsourcing requires integral decision making in contrast to factual decision making that displayed signs of bounded rationality (particularly expressed through the focus on cost savings).
Social implications
The dominant, one‐sided view of the cost perspectives contributes to the notion that the shareholders' interests for short‐term profitability conflict with long‐term organisational health (apparent through the impact on operational management of outsourcing activities).
Originality/value
Stakeholders involved in strategic decision making might use this research to evaluate fundamentally decisions that cover outsourcing. At the same time, for consultants and practitioners it offers insight that is complementary to the often one‐sided strategic decision making with its focus on cost reductions. Furthermore, this paper demonstrates the limited validity of current theories that underpin strategic decision making on outsourcing and provides an impetus for academics to develop more appropriate theory.
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Naoufel Cheikhrouhou, Michel Pouly, Charles Huber and Jean Beeler
Research on the dynamics of Collaborative Enterprises Networks (CEN) lacks consistency and industrial feedback. The purpose of this paper is to present insights and lessons…
Abstract
Purpose
Research on the dynamics of Collaborative Enterprises Networks (CEN) lacks consistency and industrial feedback. The purpose of this paper is to present insights and lessons learned from an industrial case study dealing with the practical experience gathered during the creation, alliance development, and business operation phases of a CEN.
Design/methodology/approach
The proposed research methodology relies on qualitative approach, using unstructured interviews with the main decision makers in the network. The objective of the interviews is to highlight the most important events in the lifecycle of the network. From the important elements discussed, success and failure key factors are identified.
Findings
Through the case study, the authors identify the main success and failure key factors to consider in CENs. Furthermore, relying on the current state of the art, they highlight the main research directions, particularly with respect to the development of modelling approaches capturing the dynamics of these systems.
Originality/value
The identification of the success and failure key factors and their corresponding technologies, systems and human perspectives is aimed at providing links between theoretical models and practical implications to both academics and industrialists. The challenges and developmental areas proposed provide the basis for new models capturing the dynamics and the evolution of CENs.
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Roberto da Piedade Francisco, Américo Azevedo and António Almeida
The purpose of this paper is to study the alignment measurement in collaborative networks, using the fit concept and predictive performance measurement as its main enablers. A…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to study the alignment measurement in collaborative networks, using the fit concept and predictive performance measurement as its main enablers. A performance prediction approach is used in order to control a collaborative business network based not only in present and past performance measurements of each partner, but also taking into account the future behaviour of the intra‐ and inter‐organisational processes performance.
Design/methodology/approach
An exploratory case study was applied to a Brazilian collaborative network and mathematical approaches normally used in control theory were adopted to support alignment measurement.
Findings
The use of predictive measurements to manage the alignment between the results of inter‐organisational processes and performance targets set by the collaborative network.
Research limitations/implications
This approach was applied in a specific supply chain network, based on three industrial companies. For other network typologies it will be necessary to evaluate the alignment that can be achieved.
Practical implications
This predictive approach makes it possible to manage performance pro‐actively using feedforward and feedback control. Therefore, tools that consider performance estimation are used based on a data fusion approach, with a proper combination of leading and lagging measurements, which make it possible to use forecasting methods and tools to achieve good predictions.
Originality/value
The paper introduces an approach to alignment measurement leveraged by the new paradigm of performance prediction and presents an alignment metric for collaborative networks.
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Dmitry Ivanov and Boris Sokolov
On modern markets, supply chains (SC) shape the competition landscape. At the same time, considerable research advancements have been recently achieved in the area of…
Abstract
Purpose
On modern markets, supply chains (SC) shape the competition landscape. At the same time, considerable research advancements have been recently achieved in the area of collaborative networks. Trends in information technology progress for networked systems include development of cyber‐physical networks, cloud service environments, etc. The purpose of this paper is to identify an inter‐disciplinary perspective and modelling tools for new generation SCs which will be collaborative cyber‐physical networks.
Design/methodology/approach
This study addresses the above‐mentioned research goal by first, developing a methodical vision of an inter‐disciplinary modelling framework for SCM based on the existing studies on SC operations, control and systems theories; and second, by integrating elements of different structures with structures dynamics within an adaptive framework based upon the authors' own research.
Findings
The inter‐disciplinary modelling framework for multi‐structural SCs has been developed. A new inter‐disciplinary level of model‐based decision‐making support in those SCs is claimed based on the integration of previously isolated problems and modelling tools developed in such disciplines like operations research, control theory, system dynamics, and artificial intelligence.
Originality/value
The novelty of this paper is the consideration of SC modelling in the context of collaborative cyber‐physical systems. This topic is particularly relevant for researchers and practitioners who are interested in future generation SCs. Particular focus is directed towards the multi‐structural SC modelling, structure dynamics, and inter‐disciplinary problems and models in future SCs. Challenges of integrated optimization in the organizational and informational context are discussed.
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Jens Eschenbächer and Novica Zarvić
Collaborative networks (CN) are organizational forms that are especially enabled by innovations in the area of information and communication technologies. For an in‐depth…
Abstract
Purpose
Collaborative networks (CN) are organizational forms that are especially enabled by innovations in the area of information and communication technologies. For an in‐depth understanding of CN a theoretical foundation is required. The purpose of this paper is to explain goal‐oriented and opportunity‐based CN with the help of existing and well‐known organization theories. A detailed overview about frequently mentioned concepts and theories in network studies is given and then a structured selection of theoretical approaches that are aiming to explain CN is discussed in detail. Finally, ten aspects for the existence and efficiency of CN are derived.
Design/methodology/approach
The approach taken in this work is based on a literature review and an impact analysis of the investigated organization theories along the life cycle of CN.
Findings
The result of the analysis shows that none of the investigated theories is able to describe the complex phenomenon of CN entirely and to clear all knowledge deficits. Therefore, multiple theories need to be considered as foundation.
Originality/value
This research represents a contribution to the theoretical body of knowledge in the field of CN. More specifically, it represents a first initial step towards the explanation of certain aspects of CN by means of existing organization theories.
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The aim of this paper is the design of a strategic‐operational decision support to justify a specific network configuration. Based on cost/earnings equations regarding quality…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this paper is the design of a strategic‐operational decision support to justify a specific network configuration. Based on cost/earnings equations regarding quality, time and cost restrictions, the equations on the operational level get linked to the business strategy of globalisation.
Design/methodology/approach
The methodology is based on literature and empirical analysis reflecting internal and external benchmarking with other European‐based car manufacturers. Thus, it combines theoretical aspects with practical evidence.
Findings
The findings include a comparison of the traditional production strategy with an agile production. As shown for this industry sector, the future concentration of production will be with third party manufacturers (3PM) or in certain cases still with the OEM.
Research limitations/implications
Further, research is embedded in comparing the agility approach with the different cultural elements like power distance or uncertainty avoidance, particularly for the automotive industry as one of the few globally favoured industry sectors. Another research field is addressed with the degree of customization: how much is really appreciated by the customer and therefore needs a flexible manufacturing approach?
Practical implications
The practical implication lies in the decision support to design a global network of manufacturing locations. Moreover, the practitioner gets an insight for the limits of agility in the automotive sector.
Originality/value
The value of this paper is given by bridging the scientific approach and practical constraints resulting in a state‐of‐the‐art decision‐making for network design in the automotive industry.