Networks have become an important organization form for creating and disseminating innovations in many sectors. Innovation networks can help to cope with the demands of increasing competition and rapidly changing markets. This view has established also in the logistics sector. The objective of this treatise is to help readers understand the management of innovation networks based on a case study that examines how the DHL Group, one of the world's largest providers of logistics services, organizes its innovative activities with its network partners. The special focus is the network management and competitive advantages for DHL resulting form the network. The network of DHL Solutions & Innovations (DSI), a business unit in which the DHL Group bundles and coordinates its innovation activities, is described and analyzed. DSI utilizes a large international network of heterogeneous partners, which is largely being controlled through focal means and which is configured dynamically. Functions selection, allocation, regulation and evaluation are stringently organized within this innovation network and are highly formalized. The advantages of the chosen organizational format for the network are explained on the basis of the resource oriented approaches and the transaction cost theory.

This study aims to examine the process of development and marketing of CIS (copper-indium-selenium) technology as a major innovation in solar technology through the case of Würth Solar, which is the first company worldwide to have started mass production of CIS-solar modules. This article reports the development history of the technology and analyzes its innovative content. It also describes cooperation with innovation partners as a key to success. The participating organizations and actors involved are shown and their roles in the innovation process are illustrated. Challenges and oppositions are explained and the way the company managed to overcome these difficulties is presented.