Innovation management of logistics service providers

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide a sound basis to facilitate further research on innovation management at logistics service providers (LSPs). Design/methodology/approach Content analysis of extant literature was undertaken and supplemented by conceptual deliberations. Findings Future LSP‐specific innovation research should be undertaken. While comparatively much knowledge on innovation management by LSPs does already exist, it is hardly integrated. More comprehensive studies of LSPs' innovation processes and systems are required. Research limitations/implications The review is limited to articles written in English and published in academic journals from 1999 to mid‐2009. This research should be supplemented by empirical research, in particular case studies. Practical implications LSPs can compare their own innovation management concepts to the body of scientific knowledge presented here. As long as research does not take their specific context into account, LSPs are required to adapt more general concepts to their needs. Originality/value This paper outlines theoretical features of a research stream on innovation management at LSPs. It integrates previous findings on LSPs' innovation management in a suitable framework, and it proposes an agenda for future research.