Collaborative Concept Development Using Supplier Competitions: Insights from the Automotive Industry

Journal of Engineering and Technology Management, Volume 26, Issue 1, pages 1-14, 2009

36 Pages Posted: 18 May 2012

See all articles by Benedikt Langner

Benedikt Langner

University of Oxford - Said Business School

Victor P. Seidel

Babson College; Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences; University of Oxford

Date Written: 2009

Abstract

Firms may seek to collaborate with skilled suppliers not only to access existing technologies but also to jointly develop new concepts. We sought to examine the details of collaborative concept development through matched cases of novel convertible roof projects in the European automotive industry. The result is a three phase model marked by the use of supplier concept competitions to probe possible features and by the selective maintenance of distance to suppliers. Knowledge transfer and integration practices, differences depending on initial experience, and implications for managing such distributed systems of innovation are highlighted.

Keywords: Concept development, technological collaborations, supplier involvement

JEL Classification: O32

Suggested Citation

Langner, Benedikt and Seidel, Victor P., Collaborative Concept Development Using Supplier Competitions: Insights from the Automotive Industry (2009). Journal of Engineering and Technology Management, Volume 26, Issue 1, pages 1-14, 2009, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2062368

Benedikt Langner

University of Oxford - Said Business School ( email )

Park End Street
Oxford, OX1 1HP
Great Britain

Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences ( email )

Cambridge, MA
United States

HOME PAGE: http://www.seas.harvard.edu/directory/vseidel

University of Oxford ( email )

Park End Street
Oxford, OX1 1HP
Great Britain

HOME PAGE: http://www.sbs.ox.ac.uk/community/people/victor-seidel

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