Supply chains' sustainability trajectories and resilience: a learning perspective in turbulent environments

Abstract

PurposeWhile various supply chain (SC) sustainability investigations exist, their connection to supply chain resilience (SCRes) remains largely unexplored. To fill this gap, the authors answer the question: “How do firms' sustainability actions affect their SCs' resilience and sustainability trajectories in turbulent environments?" by exploring the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted 10 case studies in five industries located in six European countries. A total of 19 semi-structured interviews and relevant secondary data were collected and analyzed in reference to SC sustainability learning and the literature on SCRes approaches (i.e. engineering, ecological and social-ecological).Findings31 SC actions referring to different sustainability dimensions were identified to map SCRes learning through a temporal, spatial and functional scale analysis. While five cases are related to an engineering approach focused on “bouncing back” to pre-pandemic goals, three cases were focused on “bouncing forward” as part of an ecological approach. Moreover, the authors identified the existence of two social-ecological resilience cases which developed long-term actions, updating functional set-ups transcending the SC level. The results furthermore illustrate an influence of the SCRes approaches on SC sustainability learning, generating three different paths: flat, flat ascending and ascending SC sustainability trajectories.Research limitations/implicationsThe study develops an overview of the adoption of SCRes approaches due to temporal, spatial and functional scales, and their effect on SC sustainability trajectories through exploitation and exploration capabilities. Future research should elaborate on potential moderators in the proposed relationships.Practical implicationsA better understanding of the link between SC sustainability actions and SCRes will help practitioners to make better informed decisions in turbulent environments.Originality/valueUnlike previous research, this paper provides empirical evidence on engineering, ecological and social-ecological SCRes approaches, as well as SC sustainability trajectories.

“Managing the “new normal”: the future of operations and supply chain management in unprecedented times”

“…They also highlight the need for research to better address the specific contexts of Africa, China and Iran in this respect. Sauer et al (2022) note that a large number of contextual factors (contingencies) influence supply chain resilience and that research needs to consider spatial, temporal and functional 'scales' as different groups of contexts. They highlight limitations that also prompt future work as being around the regional context of their study (European firms), the need to capture data from dyads of triads in supply chains, and then the need for more conceptual development and longitudinal study, given the ongoing nature of turbulence (here, specifically that of the Covid pandemic, but noting its links to future, cascading sources of instability).…”

“…Seuring et al (2022) concerns the importance of regional context for supply chain management, contrasting Iran under sanctions, the manufacturing centres of China, advanced consumer economies of Europe and North America, the distinct contexts of India, Pakistan, Brazil, the many countries of Africa and so forth. Sauer et al (2022), considers the mindset of firms in relation to external turbulence, distinguishing those that bounce-back and return to a previous state with those that bounce-forward to achieve a new state. Marttinen and K€ ahk€ onen (2022) and Jia et al (2022) investigate the nature of relationships between organisations and related communications, regarding stakeholder power imbalances and leaning processes, respectively.…”

“…Sauer et al. (2022) note that a large number of contextual factors (contingencies) influence supply chain resilience and that research needs to consider spatial, temporal and functional scales as different groups of contexts.…”

“…Sauer et al. (2022)’s “ Supply chains’ sustainability trajectories and resilience: a learning perspective in turbulent environments ”, considers whether firms that adopt sustainability strategies are more resilient to external turbulence.…”

Comparing regions globally: impacts of COVID-19 on supply chains – a Delphi study

“…More studies elaborate on the assessment and mitigation of SC risks than on SC resilience and disruption management, and SCM literature on pandemics and epidemics is widely lacking (Pournader et al. , 2020; Sauer et al. , 2022), so even wide-range overview papers do not mention this as a topic (e.g.…”