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Article
Publication date: 8 August 2016

Marcio Lopes Pimenta, Andrea Lago da Silva and Wendy L Tate

The purpose of this paper is to characterize the cross-functional integration processes between marketing and logistics, while considering five basic elements: boundary spanning…

1314

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to characterize the cross-functional integration processes between marketing and logistics, while considering five basic elements: boundary spanning activities, integration factors, level of integration, formality/informality and impacts of integration.

Design/methodology/approach

After an extensive literature review, five case studies were performed and in-depth interviews conducted. Both within-case and cross-case analysis was performed to better understand the cross-functional integration processes between marketing and logistics.

Findings

A characterization of cross-functional integration in the form of a managerial framework was proposed. This framework presents the elements in a process view, instead of disconnected parts of the integration processes. The framework and process perspective helps to explain the integration process, the roles and impacts of integration within organizations, while considering cultural formality and informality.

Research limitations/implications

Qualitative data collection and analysis methods cannot achieve amplitude with respect to sampling nor generalize results. In spite of this, the implications revealed by the propositions may be applied not only to Brazilian companies, but organizations in other countries as well, due to the high level of heterogeneity of the sample, and the fact that they represent multinational organizations. Therefore, further research using broad-based survey data could test the correlations between the elements of cross-functional integration processes.

Practical implications

The identification of the cross-functional integration processes within organizations can help managers to facilitate the efforts of integration between marketing and logistics, reducing conflicts and improving business performance.

Originality/value

Case studies focussing specifically on five Brazilian organizations help provide evidence for an initial definition of cross-functional integration processes by analyzing five key elements according to their characteristics and respective roles. This research provides a strong foundation for future broad-based survey research.

Details

The International Journal of Logistics Management, vol. 27 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0957-4093

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 25 November 2019

Marlos Rocha de Freitas, Márcio Lopes Pimenta, Per Hilletofth, Daniel Jugend and Pedro Carlos Oprime

The purpose of this study is to investigate how cross-functional integration supports the execution of the demand-side processes and its effects on both the demand and supply-side…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate how cross-functional integration supports the execution of the demand-side processes and its effects on both the demand and supply-side processes.

Design/methodology/approach

A case study was conducted including a Brazilian multinational manufacturer in the automobile industry and some of its suppliers and dealers. 17 interviews were conducted. A theoretical framework is proposed containing five basic elements, they are: characteristics of the demand/supply processes; involved functions; integration factors; context influencers and impacts of integration on demand and supply processes.

Findings

The findings present three demand-side processes (Product Launch, Marketing and Sales and Demand Planning) that demonstrated a greater need for cross-functional integration in the studied case, mainly through informal integration factors.

Research limitations/implications

The empirical results of this study have methodological limitations due to the use of the case study method. Future research should analyze the effects of other context influencers (e.g. natural catastrophes, civil wars and low level of unemployment) on cross-functional integration.

Practical implications

The results highlight that joint planning, willingness to work together, team spirit, adequate communication and cross-functional meetings helped the studied organizations to achieve competitive advantages and improve their performance.

Originality/value

This study provides a theoretical framework that helped to improve the understanding of the interrelationships between demand management constructs and cross-functional integration factors. There are indications that a political–economic crisis has stimulated the existence of a willingness to work together and group spirit among employees who remain in the organization after mass dismissals. This climate of cooperation helped to increase the agility and resilience of the studied supply chain, which is currently affected by a changing market.

Details

Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, vol. 32 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-5855

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 30 December 2022

Mitchell J. van den Adel, Thomas A. de Vries and Dirk Pieter van Donk

Organizations increasingly rely on cross-functional teams to deal with supply chain (SC) disruptions. These teams may use their broad range of connections and expertise to gather…

Abstract

Purpose

Organizations increasingly rely on cross-functional teams to deal with supply chain (SC) disruptions. These teams may use their broad range of connections and expertise to gather or scout relevant information, enabling them to develop integrative countermeasures and increase their organization’s resilience. Despite their potential, cross-functional teams often struggle to attain information scouting’s prospective benefits for effectively resolving disruptions. By drawing from group information-processing theory, this study aims to explore when and how cross-functional teams can realize information scouting’s full potential for ensuring their organization’s resilience.

Design/methodology/approach

Multisource, multi-informant data were collected from 80 cross-functional teams exposed to SC disruptions in a realistic SC management simulation.

Findings

The results show that a cross-functional team’s ability to effectively use information scouting for ensuring its organization’s resilience is contingent upon the degree to which the team’s members share information and align decisions internally (i.e. internal integration). The findings further reveal that this moderating role of internal integration is strengthened when the cross-functional team faces a volatile environment in which multiple SC disruptions are likely to occur (i.e. higher SC vulnerability).

Originality/value

This study contributes by advancing a more complete perspective on how a cross-functional team may contribute to its organization’s resilience. Specifically, the present research reveals how the benefits of a cross-functional team’s information scouting for dealing with SC disruptions are critically dependent upon internal conditions within the team, as well as external conditions related to its organization’s overall SC (i.e. beyond individual dyadic relationships).

Details

Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, vol. 28 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1359-8546

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 July 2020

Debora Jeske and Thomas Stephen Calvard

Structural and technological changes are driving functional reorganization in many organizations. To date, there are very few articles that explicitly, consistently and…

1016

Abstract

Purpose

Structural and technological changes are driving functional reorganization in many organizations. To date, there are very few articles that explicitly, consistently and cumulatively focus on cross-functional integration. This paper aims to review and explore the literature that does directly address cross-functional integration.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted a literature review within the general management domain for the time frame 2010 to 2020 and identified 71 relevant articles that provide an overview of current practices and trends.

Findings

This conceptual paper reviews this identified literature and outlines key trends, noteworthy articles and a summary of relevant theories, and provides an overview of outcomes linked to cross-functional integration in the literature. The paper concludes with a set of recommendations for practitioners and an outline of potential research areas for academic researchers, including a call for more theory integration, building and testing in the area of cross-functionality.

Originality/value

This paper is the first of its kind to attempt to summarize the literature on cross-functionality (published between 2010 and 2020), a currently very fragmented field of study spread out across different management disciplines.

Details

International Journal of Organizational Analysis, vol. 29 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1934-8835

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 23 August 2019

Ana Cristina Ferreira, Marcio Lopes Pimenta and Paraskeva Wlazlak

The purpose of this paper is to develop a model to predict the antecedents of the integration level among marketing, logistics and production, considering the influence of formal…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop a model to predict the antecedents of the integration level among marketing, logistics and production, considering the influence of formal and informal factors that generate integration and the existence of conflicts.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey of 179 participants from all regions of Brazil was conducted. A parsimonious model including four dimensions and 34 variables was developed through confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling.

Findings

The field data corroborate studies dealing with the impact of various formal and informal integration factors on the cross-functional integration level as a construct. Furthermore, this paper concludes that the level of cross-functional can be defined as: the intensity of the relationship among internal functions which can be measured by the mutual existence of formal and informal factors and the absence of manifest conflicts.

Research limitations/implications

The findings of this paper cannot be generalized because of the convenience sampling. Future research could apply a probabilistic sampling and try to explore other geographical settings in both national and international contexts.

Practical implications

The proposed model can generate important information for managers by pointing out variables that can predict the integration level and their impacts on the organizational performance. The paper concludes with examples about how the model could be useful in several practical situations.

Originality/value

This paper proposes a model with reasonable accuracy to predict the integration level and overcomes prior research limitations with respect to models to predict the antecedents of the integration level, particularly the role of conflicts in the integration processes.

Details

Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, vol. 34 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0885-8624

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 22 May 2020

Tayanne Ferraz da Silva Poberschnigg, Marcio Lopes Pimenta and Per Hilletofth

The purpose of this study is to analyze cross-functional integration processes and their respective impacts on resilience capabilities, with particular emphasis on collaboration…

2021

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to analyze cross-functional integration processes and their respective impacts on resilience capabilities, with particular emphasis on collaboration, in an automotive supply chain.

Design/methodology/approach

A case study was conducted in an automotive supply chain through 18 in-depth interviews with managers from six different companies, namely, two suppliers, one focal manufacturer and three customers. The automotive industry is one of the most vital industries in the Brazilian economy and is still recovering from the 2015 financial crisis, making it an interesting case for this research.

Findings

The findings reveal several links between resilience and cross-functional integration literatures through the analysis of three basic categories, namely, disruptions (lack of product, interruption of production, delivery delay, organizational bankruptcy and sales loss); capabilities (redundancy, flexibility, adaptability, collaboration, visibility and agility); and integration factors (cross-functional meetings, adequate communication, longevity of relationships, cross-functional training, recognition of interdependence and the consideration given to informal groups).

Practical implications

This research addresses several implications for practitioners. Managers should pay attention to the cross-functional teams, which may provide internal collaboration, and hence collaboration in the supply chain.

Originality/value

This paper suggests a new concept for the collaboration capability. According to the results, collaboration is the capability of dealing with formal and informal factors to integrate both the internal functions and supply chain members, which can provide visibility, agility and adaptability toward supply chain resilience.

Details

Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, vol. 25 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1359-8546

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 21 August 2009

Anna Moses and Pär Åhlström

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the nature of functional involvement in the cross‐functional make or buy decision process.

4232

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the nature of functional involvement in the cross‐functional make or buy decision process.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is based on literature within the areas of cross‐functional make or buy decision processes as well as cross‐functional process research in general. The empirical part of the paper is a longitudinal and in‐depth case study, where the data are collected using interviews, documentation and observations. The data are analyzed using chronological patterns.

Findings

Findings indicate a changing pattern between close collaborative integration during decision‐making phases and more interaction‐focused integration during data‐gathering phases. The benefits of this integration pattern mainly lay in the effective use of resources combined with increased decision quality.

Research limitations/implications

The results are based on a large manufacturing company that produces complex products. It can be suggested that the scene researched by the authors may be common for companies in the same environment. However, it is a limited sample and future research would benefit from investigating different environments to establish whether the results are context‐specific or not.

Practical implications

Five phases are found in the make or buy decision process where resources are used differently. Also, different functions have different roles during these phases in order not to drain resources.

Originality/value

The paper helps clarify how functions integrate and use resources during different phases of the make or buy decision process and the cross‐functional benefits and effects. A conceptual model is developed that explains the effect of functional involvement during different types of integration.

Details

International Journal of Operations & Production Management, vol. 29 no. 9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-3577

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 March 2017

Tamara Keszey and Wim Biemans

This paper aims to improve marketing managers’ use of information from sales. The authors propose and empirically test the link between cross-functional trust and marketing’s use…

1738

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to improve marketing managers’ use of information from sales. The authors propose and empirically test the link between cross-functional trust and marketing’s use of information from sales, and whether this effect is contingent on marketing’s power within the firm.

Design/methodology/approach

Cross-sectional survey data were collected from 338 large-scale Hungarian firms. Structural equation modeling and bootstrap procedures were used to test the hypotheses.

Findings

The effect of cross-functional trust on marketing managers’ use of sales information is fully mediated by sales–marketing integration and marketing’s perception of information quality. However, the power of marketing within the firm moderates this mediating relationship.

Research limitations/implications

This paper provides empirical evidence concerning the mediating mechanisms of transferring cross-functional trust to marketing’s successful use of information from sales. The findings imply that cross-functional trust can improve marketing managers’ use of sales information of firms with powerful marketing units by facilitating integration, whereas it can improve the use of sales information of firms with low marketing power by improving marketing managers’ perception of information quality from sales.

Originality/value

This is the first study that models and empirically investigates marketing managers’ use of information collected by sales. The current study conceptually links and advances extant knowledge on the literatures on the sales–marketing interface and utilization of market information at the individual level and increases the understanding of how cross-functional trust contributes to information use under different contingencies of marketing power.

Details

Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, vol. 32 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0885-8624

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 22 April 2009

W. Rocky Newman, Mark D. Hanna, Thomas Gattiker and Xiaowen Huang

This paper proposes a framework that describes the boundary spanning supply chain management (SCM) initiatives taken by leading companies. Supported by existing literature and…

Abstract

This paper proposes a framework that describes the boundary spanning supply chain management (SCM) initiatives taken by leading companies. Supported by existing literature and interviews with managers from large companies reflecting a cross section of businesses, the framework suggests four motivating domains or factors that could support SCM initiatives. They are supply chain understanding, design, improvement, and coordination. Based on the sand cone model, the framework also suggests four levels of SCM integration over which these motivating factors are relevant to the firm and/or supply chain. They range from no integration outside the functional silos of a single firm to a fully integrated multi‐tier supply chain. Unlike existing frameworks that are based upon the flow of material and information through the supply chain, our framework is derived by combining the concept of integration with the motivating domains that characterize SCM initiatives. It captures the combined and overlapping impact of supply chain initiatives from a more strategic perspective and is a useful additional resource for practitioners who seek to chart potential improvements to their supply chain from a competitive standpoint.

Details

American Journal of Business, vol. 24 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1935-5181

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 February 2009

Charles R. Emery

The purpose of this paper is to identify prerequisites for sustaining effective cross‐functional integration as well as their temporal inter‐relationships. Once this type of…

2130

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify prerequisites for sustaining effective cross‐functional integration as well as their temporal inter‐relationships. Once this type of information is known, a “cause‐effect‐cause” model is constructed to identify constraints and improve effectiveness.

Design/methodology/approach

A case research approach was used to explore the relationships between various prerequisites of integration and to understand “how” or “why” their presence may influence the success of sustaining integration. The study focused on 13 companies from the US aerospace defense industry which were in the process of implementing TQM programs.

Findings

Organizations which successfully attained “sustained” integration indicated that the reward/performance system based on cross‐functional or process objectives was the major driver behind: forcing employees to understand the organization's processes; providing dedicated time for employees to reflect on process improvement; ensuring employees are rewarded for process improvements; and increasing accountability for integration. These organizations believe that the employee's understanding of the strategic processes acted in conjunction with the process improvements rewards to improve the employees' understanding that cross‐functional relations play a critical role in success.

Research limitations/implications

The findings provide a valuable linkage between the organizational constraints, integration and the organizational learning literature.

Practical implications

Study results suggest both a construct for measuring levels of organizational integration and a cause‐effect‐cause relationship to identify prerequisite constraints.

Originality/value

This is one of the few studies that examine 13 corporations to clarify both the prerequisites for sustaining integration and their temporal inter‐relationships. Additionally, a “cause‐effect‐cause” model based on the Theory of Constraints is used to identify prerequisite constraints.

Details

Business Process Management Journal, vol. 15 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1463-7154

Keywords

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