The coordination of supply chain configuration with new product development process has become extremely relevant to either prevent product launch from failure or to enhance supply chain effectiveness. Recently, along with the offshoring of production activities, a new paradigm emerges: companies adopt globally dispersed teams for the collaborative development of new products. While many studies regarding new product development have been carried out, few have examined this topic in a global setting. The aim of this research is to investigate how companies are organizing and managing product development projects on a global scale. Seventeen companies working in the electro-mechanical sector participated in this exploratory study to determine what type of global product development configurations were being adopted and to identify the link between the configurations and the supply chain. In addition, the study also addressed how the selected configurations influence new product development practices and which contingent factors determine the adoption of a certain configuration.From the data, it emerges that common behaviours were adopted concerning geographical dispersion and the management of development teams in new product development. Furthermore, the study led to some interesting implications for managers because the identified configurations can be utilized by firms for more effective planning of their global product development efforts.