Lessons from co-development of a Single Vessel Processor: methodologies for managing innovation in customer-supplier networks

This article reports on the development of practical methodologies for managers seeking to deal with pre-competitive co-development of process technology, in networks that bring together customers and suppliers. Eschewing the simplistic notion of a simple linear supply 'chain', the research focuses on the case of a supply network comprising five firms and a university, examining the ways in which technological innovation was managed within it. Action research was employed to develop two novel applications of theories and practices, operationalising innovation theories and the techniques Of sociometry. Finally, we discuss the implications for supply chain managers working in networks.