AN EXPLORATORY RESEARCH ON RELATIONSHIPS WITH STAKEHOLDERS IN INNOVATION

High levels of product innovation activity are occurring through key companies leading and developing stakeholders networks. Thus, an innovating company will be always interested to know the degree to which component suppliers are willing to form partnerships by participating in its new products development process. Recognized as an effective opportunity for innovation, value co-creation allows the company to use relationships with customers and other stakeholders during the generating process, to create a space for mutual learning, co-creation and co-design, in which the stakeolders become an integrated part of the innovation and design process not only as a simple informants.The objective of the study was to describe the way that companies follow in their efforts to innovate involving the stakeholders. Relationships initiated, developed and maintained in this respect were studied on three Romanian companies that activate in the design and development of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software solutions. They also deliver consultancy, implementation and post-implementation services for the products they sell. As source of information were used discutions conducted with directors of marketing from the three companies and also with several stakeholders involved in the innovation processes. Several similarities was found and described, for relationships specific to each category of stakeholder.