Managing innovation activity processes: Part I: Strategic management views and mechanisms for global fashion marketplaces

The integration of innovation resources and processes of people and organizations that are knowledgeable and responsible for the whole cycle of product life is prevalently recognised as one of the essential principles and practices needed to sustain a competitive advantage in today's global marketplaces. However, to integrate such innovation processes inevitably involves a large number of geographically dispersed teams that collaboratively diagnose, analyse and respond to dynamic and complex customer requirements. In this paper. Part I in a series of two, the authors review the development of management views about integrating and co-ordinating innovation processes and illustrate the empirical management issues for integration through the case studies of leading international fashion-buying companies. The effective management mechanisms for integration and co-ordination observed for collaborative innovation processes are presented. Through the research result analyses in the cases studied, the contextual aspects governing global fashion innovation activities are illustrated. Based on these premises, a contingency-based strategic framework for selection of an appropriate management mechanism is suggested. The paper concludes with a discussion of management implications for the strategic framework in today's global competitive environment.