The role of supplier innovativeness in the humanitarian context

Innovation in the context of humanitarian supply chain (HSC) is essential to meet the varying needs of beneficiaries around the world. Humanitarian organizations themselves do not possess all the necessary resources for new product innovation. Hence, suppliers working with them play a vital role in helping them deliver innovative products and services to the beneficiaries. This study examines the phenomenon of supplier innovativeness in long-term humanitarian aid delivered by a non-governmental organization (NGO). It employs a single case study approach to investigate the antecedents and drivers of supplier innovativeness in an NGO-led HSC and proposes a novel framework for supplier innovativeness in the HSC context. The findings also underpin beneficiary satisfaction due to supplier innovativeness. Further, the implications of the results show that the new product developed through supplier innovativeness improved social, environmental, and economic dimensions of the beneficiaries. This study also highlights the social and managerial implications of supplier innovativeness and beneficiary satisfaction.