Intra-functional coordination: the case of purchasing during innovation in the agri-food sector

Abstract

As the pace of change has accelerated rapidly in the agri-food sector, coupled with an ever-increasing level of competitiveness, firms are seeking processes which are likely to strengthen their capacity for innovation. In this context, this paper explores factors that foster the intra-organisational coordination between purchasing, marketing and, R&D/innovation. In addition, we shed light on the involvement of Purchasing early in the innovation process. Five in-depth case studies were selected based on significant innovations on the agri-food industry and the involvement of the purchasing department. The results suggest that intra-functional coordination plays an important role in the innovation process and confirm the relevance of some known factors, such as Early Purchasing Involvement (EPI), the quality of intra-organisational relations and intra-organisational alignment. On the other side, intra-functional factors emerged from our case studies, such as ‘purchaser’s internal attractiveness,’ a willingness attitude and managing anticipation of demand. The results provide empirical evidence on intra-organisational drivers and underline the core role of EPI in agri‐food firms, thus complement earlier studies from other industries.

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