Managing supply chains during the Covid-19 crisis: synthesis of academic and practitioner visions and recommendations for the future

Abstract

PurposeThe Covid-19 pandemic has created an environment of high uncertainty and caused major disruptions in supply chains. The new normal that has emerged during the pandemic is leading to a need to identify new solutions to improve supply chain crisis management in the future. Practitioners require adapted recommendations for solutions to implement. These recommendations are laid out in this paper.Design/methodology/approachA combination of a systematic literature review (SLR), qualitative semi-structured interviews and a questionnaire survey of supply chain practitioners is applied. The interviews provide insights into supply chain practitioners' views of their approaches and, together with the solutions proposed in the literature, provide future recommendations for action for supply chain managers.FindingsDuring the pandemic, companies experienced disruptions in supply, production and demand, as well as interruptions in transportation and distribution. The majority of the solutions proposed in the literature, coincide with the opinions of practitioners. These include collaborative risk management, real-time monitoring and information sharing, supply network management, scenario planning and “what-if” simulations.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough the number of interviews conducted and questionnaires completed is limited, they still serve to supplement the SLR with important practical insights and recommendations.Originality/valueThis paper presents a review of recent academic literature focusing on the impact of Covid-19 on supply chains and the existing solutions to mitigate that impact and manage future crises. It has been expanded to include industry perspectives and experiences. The findings of this study present recommended practices and strategies for better managing supply chains during a crisis.

Digital transformation for supply chain collaborative innovation and market performance

“…These findings deepen the current understanding of which kinds of innovation can contribute to improving resilience and how digital transformation should be managed to enhance innovation in collaborative networks, which is currently underaddressed in the literature (Ammirato et al, 2019;Kohl et al, 2022). This study also provides empirical evidence and insights into how collaborative networks can develop resilience and antifragility through enhancing market performance to cope with current turbulent times (Corvello et al, 2022;Corvello et al, 2023;Taleb, 2014).…”

“…This study highlights the importance of digital transformation and collaborative innovation for realising resilience. The findings clarify the mechanism and impact path of digital transformation and SC collaborative innovation on antifragility and deepen the understanding of how resilience can be achieved in collaborative networks (Janahi et al,2022;Kohl et al,2022).…”

Стратешке Импликације Ратних Дешавања На Ланце Снабдевања

“…Some of the effective ways to overcome the obstacles caused by the Covid-19 pandemic are capacity decentralization, multiple sourcing, small batch production and shortening of the supply chain (supply of domestic raw materials) (Fonseca and Azevedo 2020;Lopes, Gomes, and Mané 2022). Potential solutions for redesigning the supply chains in response to the Covid-19 pandemic were also addressed by Kohl et al (2022). They list the following: active and continuous risk management and collaborative risk management with suppliers and customers; collaborative and rapid alignment solutions with supply chains partners and real time monitoring and information sharing; collaborations with customers; a demand-driven and adaptive flow management and alternative and backup suppliers.…”

Guest editorial: Bridging the research-practice gaps in supply chain management: lessons from COVID-19

“…Based on the interpretivism philosophy, we have accepted nine articles. The authors have used qualitative interviews to derive their research propositions (see, Shareef et al , 2021; Modgil et al , 2021; Ashraf et al , 2021; Castka et al , 2021; Klymenko and Halse, 2021; Hohenstein, 2022; Wagner et al , 2022; Kohl et al , 2022; Song et al , 2022). Two articles based on pragmatism philosophy were accepted (see, Nayal et al , 2021; Kumari et al , 2021).…”