How can cross-functional integration support the development of resilience capabilities? The case of collaboration in the automotive industry

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this study is to analyze cross-functional integration processes and their respective impacts on resilience capabilities, with particular emphasis on collaboration, in an automotive supply chain. Design/methodology/approach A case study was conducted in an automotive supply chain through 18 in-depth interviews with managers from six different companies, namely, two suppliers, one focal manufacturer and three customers. The automotive industry is one of the most vital industries in the Brazilian economy and is still recovering from the 2015 financial crisis, making it an interesting case for this research. Findings The findings reveal several links between resilience and cross-functional integration literatures through the analysis of three basic categories, namely, disruptions (lack of product, interruption of production, delivery delay, organizational bankruptcy and sales loss); capabilities (redundancy, flexibility, adaptability, collaboration, visibility and agility); and integration factors (cross-functional meetings, adequate communication, longevity of relationships, cross-functional training, recognition of interdependence and the consideration given to informal groups). Practical implications This research addresses several implications for practitioners. Managers should pay attention to the cross-functional teams, which may provide internal collaboration, and hence collaboration in the supply chain. Originality/value This paper suggests a new concept for the collaboration capability. According to the results, collaboration is the capability of dealing with formal and informal factors to integrate both the internal functions and supply chain members, which can provide visibility, agility and adaptability toward supply chain resilience.

Sustainable supply chain management towards disruption and organizational ambidexterity: A data driven analysis

“… Eckstein et al (2015) ; Blome et al (2014) ; Rojo-Gallego-Burin et al (2020) ; Burin et al (2020) ; Mandal (2015) ; Sahu et al (2015) ; Huang & Lu (2020) ; Pu et al (2018) ; Shekarian et al (2020) ; Shekarian & Mellat Parast (2020) ; Baharmand et al (2019) ; Shen et al (2019) . I16 Supply chain integration SC integration is defined as the strategic collaboration with supply chain partners besides aligning intra-organizational practices related to flow and production of products, services, information and joint decision-making in various functional areas inside (internal integration) and outside firm boundaries (supplier and customer integration) Shah et al (2020) ; Scott (2016) ; Munir et al (2020) ; Shukor et al (2020) , Syed et al (2019) ; da Silva Poberschnigg et al (2020) ; Durowoju et al (2020) ; de Freitas et al (2019) ; Palm et al (2020) ; Magill et al (2020) . I17 Supply chain network design SC network design represents the facility location problem, and SC management contains facility location determination, magnitude, network capabilities and the material flow among the located facilities.…”

The case of sales in the automotive industry during the COVID‐19 pandemic

“…Hence, this study might be relevant for managers at car manufacturers and another automotive stakeholder, such as suppliers and regulators, by offering insights into nuances of the recent automotive developments during the COVID‐19 crisis, focusing on automotive sales. Specifically, the paper might be useful for suppliers by inspiring ideas for positioning their companies well to transition towards online sales and fixed vehicle prices (Poberschnigg et al, 2020; Tordjman & Rehberg, 2019). Regulators might benefit from the study by understanding car manufacturers' measures to implement these two developments and derive how the regulatory framework might benefit from adaptation (Harrison & Thiel, 2017).…”

“…The case is particularly well suited to study agile ways of working as a strategy tool since it is an established industry in terms of operations that did not disrupt to the degree of the recent COVID‐19 crisis before (Venter, Aunan, Chowdhury, & Lelieveld, 2020; Wang & Wells, 2020). The business area of sales is appropriate since it is most affected by the COVID‐19 pandemic, received utmost management attention and required fundamental transformation (Gersdorf, Hertzke, Schaufuss, & Schenk, 2020; Hausler et al, 2020; Poberschnigg, Pimenta, & Hilletofth, 2020). Specifically, this paper draws on 18 interviews with managers at a premium manufacturer based in Asia, providing in‐depth insights into the management of the recent COVID‐19 crisis, focusing on but looking beyond sales.…”

Managing regional logistics in times of crisis: a COVID-19 case study

“…Studies of RLM in times of normality suggest the adoption of intra-and inter-regional strategies for economic development and environmental sustainability with goals of boosting operational resilience (Durugbo et al, 2020b). The RLM focus on crisis in this study is unique and reflects recent crisis-driven challenges within studies of cross-functional integration (Poberschnigg et al, 2020), high reliability organisations (Sawyerr and Harrison, 2019), logistics service network design (Dufour et al, 2018), and supply risk dependencies in supply networks (Al-Balushi and Durugbo, 2020).…”