New publication on agility in procurement

We are delighted to share that our research, “Beyond buying bytes: Complementing agile new product development with an agile procurement process,” has been accepted for publication in Industrial Marketing Management (DOI: 10.1016/j.indmarman.2025.02.016).

In today's fast-paced business landscape, agility is essential – not only in new product development (NPD) but also in procurement. However, while agile methodologies have become the norm in NPD, procurement processes often remain rigid and linear, creating inefficiencies, escalating costs, delaying time-to-market, and decreasing product quality. The new study – co-authored by Ruth Schültken, Steffen Kokozinski, and Christoph Bode – applies a design science approach to develop an agile procurement process that fosters iterative supplier engagement, flexible contracting, and cross-functional collaboration. Our findings suggest that aligning procurement with agile NPD methodologies can reduce costs, accelerate innovation cycles, and enhance product quality – critical advantages for managers operating in complex and uncertain environments.

We look forward to engaging with scholars and practitioners to explore how agility can drive the future of procurement!