Interfunctional Coordination: Development of the Customer-linking Capability in a Case Study at an Engineering Organization

Value creation for customers was and still is a subject of interest in the literature. This thesis focuses on value creation through internal organizational processes. On the basis of interfunctional coordination as the coordinated utilization of company resources we have studied the development of the customer-linking capability or in other words the skills, abilities, and processes of an organization. Therefore we have performed a case study in a Dutch engineering company who sought insight in its capabilities. To provide insight we have mapped the capabilities with the Business Model Canvas in two workshops which resulted in the identification of its current capabilities and future needs for capabilities. After this we describe how this company has built these future needed capabilities by “filling the holes” within its business model. Central in this thesis are the efforts of organizational actors in how they developed their customer-linking capability by focusing on their capabilities. What can serve as an example for the literature of how to create value for customers.