Tighter internal supply chain integration has been posited to lead to
several operational and performance benefits. In addition, it has also
been seen to aid the elicitation of external integration. However,
despite the potential benefits, achieving and maintaining tighter
internal integration is a challenging task and demands considerable
investments in time, money, and effort. Consequently, real, tight
internal supply chain integration existing in real-life companies is
rather rare than common.



Although the phenomenon of internal integration has aroused large
interest in the academia, a single, accepted, and generalizable
definition and operationalization for the concept have been lacking. The
definitions have varied from researcher to researcher which has also
been visible in various ways of operationalizing the concept. In
addition, the discussion concerning various employees’ skills as related
to internal integration has been neglected by previous researches.



On the other hand, most of the existing knowledge concerning
internal integration has been gained through utilizing a quantitative
research approach and methods, by studying stand-alone opinions of
managers or directors, in charge of single departments across several
companies. The qualitative methods and utilization of multiple
perspectives have largely been neglected. Moreover, all of the previous
researches can be regarded to be snapshots of their time; no
longitudinal researches have been executed.



The purpose of the research under scrutiny was to address both the
theoretical and methodological gaps visible in the previous research
literature. The research consequently aimed at answering the following
research questions: How can the concept of internal integration be
holistically defined, taking into account the different elements
presented in previous research literature? How can (the level of)
internal integration be holistically operationalized and analyzed,
utilizing the new definition and taking into account the analyses models
and approaches presented in previous research literature? Are the
findings of the current research in line with the earlier findings or
does it result in deviant and/or additional results? And, which skills
are needed of different organization level employees in order to manage
the internal supply chain successfully? While aiming at answering these
questions, the research also aimed at answering three pragmatic research
questions, directly discussing the operations of the case mill of the
research: How do the case mill’s production planning, production, and
warehousing and dispatch departments operate functionally and how and in
which occasions and forms do they interact with one another? What is
the current level (spring-autumn 2015) of internal integration existing
between the case mill’s concerned departments? How does the current
level of internal integration appear in the light of the mill’s future
operating environment?



The research was executed as a qualitative, longitudinal single case
study research. A Finnish paper mill in a transformation process
changing from one production mode to another acted as a case company of
the research. The research studied the level of internal integration
existing between case mill’s three departments – production planning,
production, and warehousing and dispatch – through the opinions of three
organization levels – upper level white-collars, lower lever
white-collars, and blue-collars – and multiple respondents representing
each of the concerned departments and employee groups, during three
periods of time – in the old production mode and operating environment
(2013-2014), during the mill’s transition from the old production mode
to the new (2014-2015), and in the new production mode and operating
environment (autumn 2015 onwards).



The existing level of internal integration was researched and
analyzed by utilizing a new definition and operationalization of the
concept of internal integration created in the research under scrutiny,
by utilizing four qualitative data collection methods – introduction
discussions, a qualitative survey, consequent specifying interviews, and
objective observations. The research was executed from the inside;
operating within the case mill while still simultaneously maintaining a
position of an external researcher.



The research resulted in clear additions to the existing research
literature. It provides a new, more holistic definition for the concept
of internal integration. In addition, it also provides a new
operationalization for the concept. Moreover, it starts the discussion
of relevance of various organization level employees’ skills as related
to the successful management of the internal supply chain.



Moreover, by utilizing deviant and new research methods, it
consequently also provides additional, new theoretical information. It,
for example, emphasizes the importance of researching several
departments and organization levels while aiming at analyzing the true
level of internal integration as the opinions of different departments
and organization levels – not to mention individuals – proved to differ.
Thus utilizing a too narrow research perspective can result in faulty
analyses. The deviant methods utilized in the research themselves also
provide clear methodological contributions, in form of researching
several departments, through the eyes of several organization levels and
multiple respondents, during a longer period of time – longitudinally.



Finally, from the case mill’s managerial perspective, the research
provides the mill representatives with deep descriptions of the mill’s
internal operations and analyses of its current and potential future
level of internal integration, in addition to providing specific
development suggestions.