The effects of socio-technical integration on sustainability practices: a supply chain perspective

Abstract

PurposeThis study aims to investigate sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) through the lens of socio-technical system (STS) theory. Specifically, it examines the individual and synergistic effects of social and technical integration on two main sustainability practices (i.e. sustainable production and sustainable sourcing). Supply chain uncertainty is further explored as a key environmental factor.Design/methodology/approachA moderated joint effects model was hypothesized. A sample of 759 manufacturing firms was used to test the proposed hypotheses by hierarchical linear regression.FindingsThe results show that both social and technical integration have positive effects on sustainable production and sustainable sourcing. Interestingly, social and technical integration have an enhancing synergistic effect on sustainable sourcing, which is further strengthened in high-uncertainty supply chains.Originality/valueThis study extends the application of STS theory in the SSCM setting. It enriches the sustainability literature by uncovering the impact of the interplay among the firm's social, technical and environmental systems on sustainable production and sourcing, and offers system-wide insights for sustainability management.

Connecting the dots: uncovering the relationships between challenges confronting Africa's organ transplant supply chain systems

“…Due to this difficulty, organ donation campaigns have been challenging (Feeley and Kruegler, 2015). However, co-productive tactics can help to overcome this obstacle (Sharif, 2012).…”

“…STS has been used in previous studies to understand issues such as behavioural constraints related to supplier integration (Kull et al, 2013), complexity and lean production systems (Soliman et al, 2018) and implementing intelligent supply chain control towers (Vlachos, 2021). In addition, other scholars have shown how socio-technical integration impacts supply chain sustainability practices (Shan et al, 2022) and supply chains as dynamic networks (Gattorna and Pasmore, 2022). However, previous studies have yet to consider a STS view of the organ donation and transplantation supply chain, which is what we focus on in this research.…”

“…The fact that organ donation is still a heavily debated and contentious issue complicates organ procurement (Williamson et al , 2019). Organ donation has religious supporters and opponents, depending on whether the donor is alive or dead (Sharif, 2012). Research on organ donation has revealed difficulties in engaging community groups, obtaining ethical clearance for sensitive experiments with the recently deceased and recruiting bereaved family members who were approached about organ donation (Noyes et al , 2019).…”

“…Over the past decade, many studies have identified challenges/constraints that may reduce the availability of high-quality organs for transplantation. This is due to a lack of regulatory or policy frameworks (Shroff, 2009), religious or cultural beliefs (Sharif, 2012), poor incentives systems (Parada-Contzen and Vásquez-Lavín, 2019), inadequate cold-chain facilities (Fisher et al , 2020), among other factors such as organ trafficking and tourism (Smith, 2012). However, many of these studies have examined such challenges individually without determining if the obstacles are interdependent.…”

The effect of human resource strategy on green supply chain integration: the moderating role of information systems and mutual trust

“…Socio-technical system theory offers a fascinating view by incorporating social and technical systems that create customer-focused products and services (Walker et al, 2008). The social and technical elements create social integration in the social system and technological integration in the technical system (Shan et al, 2022). By integrating these factors, firms may maximize productivity, collaboration, and customer happiness.…”