Refine
Has Fulltext
- no (1)
Year of publication
- 2021 (1)
Document Type
Language
- English (1)
Is part of the Bibliography
- yes (1)
Institute
Purpose of this paper:
Despite the importance of logistics innovation, not many academic papers discuss this topic in detail, even less consider the contents of logistics innovation. Other perspectives, e. g. organizational structure and process management, have attracted much more attention in logistics innovation research. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the understanding of logistics innovation from a content perspective.
Design/methodology/approach:
We have conducted a case study of the German Logistics Award (GLA), an innovation award, for which BVL, the German Association of Logistics Professionals, invites project proposals on an annual basis. In our study, we followed an interpretivist and social constructivist approach using two streams of data (1) archival data for the award-winning projects for the five years from 2015 to 2019 and (2) in-depth interviews with the BVL management as well as members of the GLA jury. Using MaxQDA, we applied Qualitative Content Analysis to the data to investigate what constitutes logistics innovation.
Findings:
Logistics innovation is rarely the lead implementation of groundbreaking new technologies in the field of logistics but is perceived as architectural innovations based on novel reconfigurations of existing technology. Although technology, and especially technology facilitating the digital transformation, is a central aspect of logistics innovation, the key innovation lies in delivering consistency, i.e. a holistic integration approach in terms of both reach (across departments and/or supply chain partners) and depth (tying together physical processes and information flow as well as harmonizing automation and human
work, etc.).
Value:
Our study contributes to the understanding of logistics innovation from a content perspective. It showcases the role of logistics as a key driver of corporate change and highlights the importance of consistency for gaining a sustainable competitive advantage.
Research limitations/implications:
Logistics innovation as it is visible in the GLA-winning projects is socially constructed by the GLA jury. Further research should investigate whether the jury’s concept of logistics innovation resonates with the industry on a broader scale. An empirical survey of logistics executives is required to better understand if striving for consistency, as our study suggests, is driving the innovation cycle in logistics