Lars-Erik Gadde

Bio: Lars-Erik Gadde is an academic researcher from Chalmers University of Technology. The author has contributed to research in topics: Purchasing & Outsourcing. The author has an hindex of 36, co-authored 144 publications receiving 13589 citations. Previous affiliations of Lars-Erik Gadde include Stockholm School of Economics.

Managing Business Relationships

Abstract: This chapter looks at the policies and procedures that are necessary to effectively manage relationships with third parties, whether they are Clients, suppliers, or consultants. It addresses issues such as access to the laboratory and its resources, Service Level Agreements, outsourcing, and the use of sub-contractors. It examines the procedures that need to be implemented for contracts with all of these groups and also details the types of checks that should be made before carrying out business with them. This chapter also deals with ways in which conflict resolution, whether with suppliers or Clients can be managed.

The Construction Industry as a Loosely Coupled System - Implications for productivity and innovativity

Abstract: Previous research suggests that the construction industry is characterized by (1) particular complexity factors owing to industry specific uncertainties and interdependences, and (2) inefficiency of operations. The aim of this study was to analyse the operations and behaviour of firms as a means of dealing with complexity. The observations made indicate that the industry as a whole is featured as a loosely coupled system. Taking this as a starting point, the couplings among activities, resources and actors were analysed in different dimensions. The pattern of couplings builds on two interdependent layers: tight couplings in individual projects and loose couplings based on collective adaptations in the permanent network. It is concluded that the pattern of couplings seems to favour short term productivity while hampering innovation and learning.

The construction industry as a loosely coupled system - implications for productivity and and innovativity

Abstract: Previous research suggests that the construction industry is characterized by (1) particular complexity factors owing to industry specific uncertainties and interdependences, and (2) inefficiency of operations. The aim of this study was to analyse the operations and behaviour of firms as a means of dealing with complexity. The observations made indicate that the industry as a whole is featured as a loosely coupled system. Taking this as a starting point, the couplings among activities, resources and actors were analysed in different dimensions. The pattern of couplings builds on two interdependent layers: tight couplings in individual projects and loose couplings based on collective adaptations in the permanent network. It is concluded that the pattern of couplings seems to favour short term productivity while hampering innovation and learning.

Supply Network Strategies

Abstract: Preface. Part I: PURCHASING CHALLENGES. The role of Purchasing in the Company. Purchasing Dynamics and Challenges. Purchasing and the New Economy. Part II: NETWORK ANALYSIS. Purchasing and the Activity Structure. Purchasing and the Resource Structure. Purchasing and the Actor structure. Part III: SUPPLY STRATEGIES. Determining the Boundaries of the Firm. Developing Relationships with Suppliers. Designing Supply Networks. Network Strategies and Networking. References. Index.

The knowledge-creating company

Abstract: How have Japanese companies become world leaders in the automotive and electronics industries, among others? What is the secret of their success? Two leading Japanese business experts, Ikujiro Nonaka and Hirotaka Takeuchi, are the first to tie the success of Japanese companies to their ability to create new knowledge and use it to produce successful products and technologies. In The Knowledge-Creating Company, Nonaka and Takeuchi provide an inside look at how Japanese companies go about creating this new knowledge organizationally. The authors point out that there are two types of knowledge: explicit knowledge, contained in manuals and procedures, and tacit knowledge, learned only by experience, and communicated only indirectly, through metaphor and analogy. U.S. managers focus on explicit knowledge. The Japanese, on the other hand, focus on tacit knowledge. And this, the authors argue, is the key to their success--the Japanese have learned how to transform tacit into explicit knowledge. To explain how this is done--and illuminate Japanese business practices as they do so--the authors range from Greek philosophy to Zen Buddhism, from classical economists to modern management gurus, illustrating the theory of organizational knowledge creation with case studies drawn from such firms as Honda, Canon, Matsushita, NEC, Nissan, 3M, GE, and even the U.S. Marines. For instance, using Matsushita's development of the Home Bakery (the world's first fully automated bread-baking machine for home use), they show how tacit knowledge can be converted to explicit knowledge: when the designers couldn't perfect the dough kneading mechanism, a software programmer apprenticed herself withthe master baker at Osaka International Hotel, gained a tacit understanding of kneading, and then conveyed this information to the engineers. In addition, the authors show that, to create knowledge, the best management style is neither top-down nor bottom-up, but rather what they call "middle-up-down," in which the middle managers form a bridge between the ideals of top management and the chaotic realities of the frontline. As we make the turn into the 21st century, a new society is emerging. Peter Drucker calls it the "knowledge society," one that is drastically different from the "industrial society," and one in which acquiring and applying knowledge will become key competitive factors. Nonaka and Takeuchi go a step further, arguing that creating knowledge will become the key to sustaining a competitive advantage in the future. Because the competitive environment and customer preferences changes constantly, knowledge perishes quickly. With The Knowledge-Creating Company, managers have at their fingertips years of insight from Japanese firms that reveal how to create knowledge continuously, and how to exploit it to make successful new products, services, and systems.

Developing relationships in business networks

Abstract: This edited collection applies the network approach to the analysis of business relationships in a global context. Drawing on a number of international case studies, a "network approach" is developed, giving rise to theoretical and practical managerial insights and a different way of conceptualizing companies within markets. New angles emerge on traditional problems of business management, with some novel implications which should challenge established ways to analyze business markets. Previous publications by these authors include, "Corporate Technological Behaviour", "Professional Purchasing" and "Managing Innovation Within Networks".

Dyadic Business Relationships within a Business Network Context

Abstract: In business-to-business settings, dyadic relationships between firms are of paramount interest. Recent developments in business practice strongly suggest that to understand these business relationships, greater attention must be directed to the embedded context within which dyadic business relationships take place. The authors provide a means for understanding the connectedness of these relationships. They then conduct a substantive validity assessment to furnish some empirical support that the constructs they propose are sufficiently well delineated and to generate some suggested measures for them. They conclude with a prospectus for research on business relationships within business networks.