Supply Chain-Driven Innovation: The Influence of Supply Chain Resource Orchestration on Organizational Performance

As continuous innovation became a strategic necessity in many markets, organizations are increasingly adding external resources to complement their in-house R&D activities. However, little is known about the concrete practices of employing and integrating those external resources. Hence, this research introduces a new conceptual framework of supply chain resource orchestration (SCRO) on the basis of a systematic literature review and a theory elaboration of resource management theories. Qualitative interviews with supply chain managers in a multi-case study are enriching and substantiating the SCRO conceptualization. Finally, a crosssectional survey (n= 247) is applied to empirically validate the new framework. The positive effects of SCRO on innovation and financial performance are confirmed. As a theoretical contribution, this research bridges supply chain and innovation management literature streams to enhance the understanding of essential resource management practices, their performance consequences, and implications of organizational culture on such relationships. This research extends the domain of resource orchestration theory to supply chain phenomena and the open innovation context. Directions for future research are proposed along with several theoretical and managerial implications.