Investigating the strategic antecedents of agility in humanitarian logistics

Abstract

This study investigates the strategic antecedents of operational agility in humanitarian logistics. It began by identifying the particular actions to be taken at the strategic level of a humanitarian organisation to support field-level agility. Next, quantitative data (n=59) were collected on four strategic-level capabilities (being purposeful, action-focused, collaborative, and learning-oriented) and on operational agility (field responsiveness and flexibility). Using a quantitative analysis, the study tested the relationship between organisational capacity building and operational agility and found that the four strategic-level capabilities are fundamental building blocks of agility. Collectively they account for 52 per cent of the ability of humanitarian logisticians to deal with ongoing changes and disruptions in the field. This study emphasises the need for researchers and practitioners to embrace a broader perspective of agility in humanitarian logistics. In addition, it highlights the inherently strategic nature of agility, the development of which involves focusing simultaneously on multiple drivers.

Agility and resilience as antecedents of supply chain performance under moderating effects of organizational culture within the humanitarian setting: a dynamic capability view

“…Previous studies have acknowledged the relevance of the combined effect of SCAG and SCRES on supply chain performance (Carvalho, Azevedo, and Cruz-Machado 2012). However, in the humanitarian context most of the existing studies have either examined the effect of SCAG (L'Hermitte et al 2017;Oloruntoba and Gray 2006;Oloruntoba and Kovacs 2015) or resilience (Tabaklar et al 2015) on supply chain performance. We have grounded our debate in the view that SCAG and SCRES are two dynamic capabilities of supply chain.…”

“…Lee and Rha 2016). Following Lee and Rha's (2016) arguments, we posit that HSC organizations can pursue simultaneously SCAG, which will enable the humanitarian organizations (HOs) to respond to respond to disaster-affected victims with right humanitarian aids in right time (Charles, Lauras, and Van Wassenhove 2010;L'Hermitte et al 2017) and SCRES, will further help to sustain the humanitarian efforts over the time despite of high degree of environmental uncertainties arising from cultural diversity among humanitarian actors and the political risk (Day et al 2012) (see Figures 1 and 2).…”

Dynamic capabilities in humanitarian supply chain management: a systematic literature review

“…According to the SC learning literature it can be emphasized that the "being collaborative" and "being purposeful" can play a significant role in learning process (Gibson et al, 2016;Lambrechts et al, 2012;Willis et al, 2016;Yang et al, 2019). The role of this dynamic capability has an important place in the SCM and DCs literature (L'Hermitte et al, 2017;Li et al, 2018;Yang et al, 2019). However, despite the importance of it, the evidence shows that HOs' efforts can be regarded insufficient given the fact that it is not applied to its full potential and there is no integrated and formal mechanism established for the learning practices (L'Hermitte et al, 2016).…”

Evaluation of Humanitarian Supply Chain Resilience in Flood Disaster

“…Torabi pointed out that strategic planning is the basis for making correct decisions [36]. L'Hermitte believed that sustainable strategic management should include an overall strategy and updated decisions based on phased disasters [37]. John suggested that humanitarian supply chain managers should confirm the source of supplies and conduct timely inspections of donated materials [38].…”