Consumer demand orientation and more effective value chain coordination mechanisms are essential for the competitiveness of the agrifood industry. This requires a complex mixture of innovations: like new products, redesign of production processes, new or improved chain coordination mechanisms and new market approaches. Single companies are not able to deal with all the needed innovations on their own (like for example an industry wide orientation shift, value chain or network oriented innovations etc.). But the fact is that innovation processes involving a multiplicity of actors (multi-actor innovation) can be particularly complicated especially in the meat industry. Since the meat industry is structured by numerous small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in various stages of the value chain but also by a few large (multi-)national companies. Furthermore, the meat value chain is based on the division of labour (often across national borders) (Theuvsen, 2004).

The need for complex, system oriented and inter-organisational innovation processes in the meat industry is present. And cooperation (e.g. business to business, BtB, and science to business, StB) will inspire the improvement of processes and systems within the meat industry. As a result, networks and clusters have been created in various areas of research and development, which, among other things, are aimed at increasing the innovative power of business companies. However, so far there have been hardly any concepts on how the range of services can be made to be customer-oriented through the management of such networks. Looking at network research shows that although different management practices and diverse management instruments are discussed in a differentiated fashion and in regard to their contribution towards network development (Sydow, 2006), the topic of services for networks is not being treated explicitly (Sydow and Zeichhardt, 2009). Network services are a specific network management tool, a more or less formalised method, the use of which makes network development possible (Sydow, 2001; Sydow, 2006; Windeler, 2001). The customer-oriented approach for identifying a network’s need for support as the basis for the service portfolio being offered is a step towards continuous improvement on the network management level.

The essential reasons for missing concepts in this area are:

­ Lack of inter-disciplinary research groups in this area,

­ Lack of incentive mechanisms for structural advancement of innovation networks, especially in the agrifood sector,

­ Lack of company awareness to utilise resources in order to strengthen and expand their innovative power,

­ Lack of insight to be able to promote sector-specific support services and take advantage of them,

­ Lack of organisational structures geared toward value chains and networks.

 

Within the framework of this study a procedural model is to be suggested, as a problem solving strategy, on how support services in inter-organisational innovation processes can be designed in a customer-oriented fashion. Within this process the side of the potential service recipient (network partner) and that of the service provider (innovation broker) is to be observed using the example of the Q-PorkChains Industry Liaison Office. Methodical-theoretical approaches to strategic management as well as principles of quality management will be brought together hereby. The agrifood industry and especially the innovation activities within the value chains of the meat industry serve as examples here.

The aim of this study is to present and explain how the network actor’s need for support can be identified. Hereby a procedure is to be tested on how this demand can be covered by employing different service elements. This will be done with the aim of creating customer driven services as a success factor to determine the sustainability and competitiveness of innovation networks. The customer-oriented approach in this study refers in particular to business actors in innovation networks that make use of support services for the initiation and implementation of innovation activities (service recipients).

In accordance with this the following central research questions (RQ) should be answered:

RQ 1: How to identify the demand for management support in inter-organisational innovation processes?

RQ 2: How can management support be organised in inter-organisational innovation processes?

 

Within a modern industrial economy there is an enormous need for continuous innovation so as to compete with or to have a lead over competitors, independent of the sector. This applies both on the micro and macro-economic level. All companies and all sectors are confronted with increased competition resulting from the open internal European and global markets. To meet this competition, scientific research, technological development and innovation are crucial. They represent core aspects of the knowledge-based economy. On the micro-economic level, innovation is of relevance since the competitiveness of single companies depends on their innovative capability. The competitive pressure caused by globalisation requires continuous improvement of performance. Furthermore, increasing competition generally leads to shorter product life and innovation cycles (Vahs and Burmester, 2005). At the macro-economic level, innovation is of great importance since it is associated with large investments (e.g. construction of research facilities, acquisition of operating resources or recruitment of additional personal). Besides that, Vahs and Burmester (2005) have detailed the interrelation between these investments and a positive effect on turnover and acquisition activities. Innovation is combined with multiplier and capital accumulation effects. Due to that, innovation becomes the driving force behind economic development. A positive relationship between innovation activities and annual turnover can be observed also in the food industry (see Figure 1 which is based on a German example).

 

 

 

Innovation in the food industry (taking Germany as an example) has a positive impact (among others) on the range and the quality of goods and services provided, on the entering of new markets and increasing market share (Figure 2).

 

 

It is a challenge for those involved in politics, the economy and the scientific world to promote innovation within and between companies with the aim of improving performance in the globally competitive environment. This also concerns the meat industry – at both the value chain and network levels. Value chains in the meat industry are as follows:

• ­ Farm production,
• ­ Processing (incl. slaughtering, cutting and deboning),
• ­ Wholesale and retail (including export),
• ­ Consumption (gastronomy and consumers/citizens¹).

The value chain described by the above production steps is supplemented by further elements involving value-adding networks (Deimel et al., 2009; Lazzarini et al., 2001; Plumeyer et al., 2009). These elements are raw materials suppliers like feed producers, animal genetic resources in terms of animal breeds, food ingredients and food additives. Furthermore, technology suppliers are essential factors for meat production. Additionally, the production process relies on particular services from veterinarians, laboratories, animal trading and transportation companies, market research, consulting, inspections, certifications institutions etc. (a typical pork value net chain is illustrated in Figure 3).