Building supply chain collaboration: a typology of collaborative approaches

Purpose This research aims to examine the characteristics, requirements, benefits, and barriers to various collaborative relationships and proposes a typology of collaborative approaches. Design/methodology/approach The research discusses insights and observations from exploratory interviews with 21 managers from ten different manufacturers and retailers. Findings A typology of three types of collaborative approaches (collaborative transaction management; collaborative event management; and collaborative process management) is proposed. The three collaborative approaches are compared and contrasted. Benefits and limitations associated with each type of collaboration are discussed. Practical implications Managers can use the typology to assess current collaborations and seek ways to improve current collaborative efforts. Managers can also use the typology to develop collaborative strategies across a broad spectrum of relationships in order to determine which type of collaboration best fits each individual business relationship. Originality/value This research extends previous relationship typologies by focusing specifically on collaborative relationships. The research examines various types of collaborative relationships in order to categorize collaborative approaches in a manner useful to academicians and practitioners.