Knowledge Integration in Buyer-Supplier Collaboration in Product Development

Abstract: Recent research in the field of buyer-supplier collaboration has found that product innovation increases if suppliers and their buyers exchange what they know. From a knowledge-based view, it is argued that both buyers and suppliers are important sources of knowledge. Still, the field lacks a comprehensive understanding of: 1) knowledge integration with buyers in terms of what the buyer’s contribution specifically consists of, 2) the timing of this contribution, and 3) how exactly this buyer knowledge integrates in a collaborative product development project. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis is to investigate how suppliers integrate knowledge with buyers in collaborative product development projects.This study examines six case studies in three industrial sectors, and examines an extensive collection of literature based on interviews, workshops and focused group meetings. The thesis also includes a compiled summary and three appended papers.The first of these three papers identifies knowledge content and timing of knowledge integration with buyers. The second paper highlights the mechanisms that suppliers use to integrate knowledge with buyers. The third and final paper describes internal integration approaches that enhance and facilitate the knowledge integration between buyers and suppliers.A principal contribution of this thesis is its demonstration of the dynamism of knowledge integration, specifically in understanding how knowledge integration is used in different phases of product development and how this integration may change over time. The study reveals that knowledge content, which need to be integrated with the buyer, must align with the requirements of each phase of the product development process. Moreover, different knowledge integration mechanisms may be used between the buyer and suppliers during each phase of the project.