Purpose: The study seeks to contribute to a better understanding of the relationship between supply chain complexity and resilience, considering the influence of complexity management practices on the resilience properties of a supply chain. Knowledge background: Despite the presence of literature discussing the link between supply chain complexity and resilience, the relation can be further investigated, as empirical evidence is needed. Moreover, a gap still exists about dynamic complexity drivers and complexity management practices. Research questions: The study aims at investigating how supply chain structural and dynamic complexity, as well as the corresponding management practices, influence supply chain resilience. Design/Methodology/Approach: The study is articulated in two main phases, characterized by two different research methods: Critical Incident Technique and inductive case studies. While the former was adopted to analyse the relationship between supply chain complexity and resilience, conceptualized through constituents (i.e. flexibility, visibility, velocity and collaboration), the latter was used to investigate the role of complexity management practices. Finally, results were triangulated and collected in a comprehensive summary matrix, and the five most relevant complexity management practices were deeply discussed in their contribution to supply chain resilience. Main findings: Main results qualitatively demonstrate the different impacts of different complexity drivers on the four resilience constituents: while dynamic ones only positively affect them, static ones can present also negative effects (e.g. differences between facilities in different territories decreases flexibility, velocity and collaboration). Moreover, findings assess the multiple positive and negative impacts of complexity management practices on supply chain resilience, as well as the kind of interplay of complexity drivers. Considering the five most critical practices, while centralisation of purchasing and project management increase resilience, product-centric organisational design, strategic relations with partners and suppliers, and multi-echelon ERPs and optimisation IT tools are ambivalent, showing, both positive and negative effects. Practical implications: Managers are informed of the interactions existing between the three dimensions, thus they can consider them in making supply chain design decisions and when evaluating management practices to adopt. Limitations and future developments: Main limitations are due to the adopted methodology: the qualitative inductive and exploratory approach is appropriate for theory building, without quantitatively supporting findings, opening to future theory testing. Moreover, in both Critical Incident Technique and inductive case studies, the subjectivity of the researcher or key informants may affect the analysis and its conclusions. Then, the adopted unit of analysis, i.e. the manufacturing firm’s internal supply chain, limits the study at the level of the single organisation. Finally, there are three content limitations: first, secondary-data collection did not allow to equally investigate all the supply chain complexity drivers at the same level of detail; secondly, the study does not empirically analyse the role of complexity management practices under disruption; third, the focus of discussion was limited to five dominant practices, which calls for further research on the remaining set of practices.
Scopo: Lo scopo dello studio è quello di approfondire e comprendere meglio il legame che esiste tra la complessità della supply chain e la resilienza, considerando l’influenza che le pratiche di gestione della complessità hanno sulle proprietà di resilienza di una supply chain. Background letterario: Nonostante l’esistenza di letteratura che discute la relazione tra la complessità della supply chain e la resilienza, il legame può essere approfondito in quanto manca l’evidenza empirica. Inoltre, ci sono grosse lacune riguardo alla complessità dinamica e alle pratiche di gestione della complessità. Domande di ricerca: Lo studio mira a definire come la complessità statica e dinamica della supply chain e le rispettive pratiche di gestione influenzino la resilienza della filiera produttiva. Design/Metodologia/Approccio: Lo studio si articola in due fasi principali, caratterizzate da due diverse metodologie di ricerca: la Critical Incident Technique e i case study induttivi. Mentre la prima è stata utilizzata per analizzare il legame tra complessità e resilienza, concettualizzata tramite i quattro elementi formativi (flessibilità, visibilità, velocità e collaborazione), la seconda è stata adottata per definire il ruolo delle pratiche di gestione della complessità. Infine, i risultati sono stati triangolati e raccolti in una matrice riassuntiva, e le cinque pratiche più rilevanti sono state approfondite e il loro contributo alla resilienza della supply chain è stato discusso. Risultati principali: I risultati principali dimostrano qualitativamente i diversi effetti dei diversi driver di complessità sui quattro elementi formativi della resilienza: mentre quelli dinamici hanno soltanto un impatto positivo, quelli statici presentano anche legami negativi (es. le differenze tra gli impianti produttivi in diverse zone geografiche diminuiscono la flessibilità, la velocità e la collaborazione). Inoltre, emergono gli effetti, sia positivi che negativi, delle pratiche di gestione della complessità sulla resilienza, così come pure la relativa intermediazione dei driver di complessità. Considerando le cinque pratiche più rilevanti, mentre la centralizzazione degli acquisti e la gestione per progetti aumentano la resilienza, il design organizzativo centralizzato sul prodotto, le relazioni strategiche con i fornitori, e gli strumenti informativi integrati di gestione e ottimizzazione sono ambivalenti, mostrando effetti sia positivi che negativi. Implicazioni pratiche: I manager sono informati e resi consapevoli delle interazioni che esistono tra le tre dimensioni analizzate, e possono quindi considerarle nel prendere decisioni riguardo al design della supply chain e nel valutare le pratiche di gestione da adottare. Limitazioni e sviluppi futuri: Le maggiori limitazioni dello studio sono dovute alla metodologia utilizzata: l’approccio qualitativo, induttivo ed esplorativo è appropriato per la definizione di una nuova teoria, ma non fornisce una dimostrazione quantitativa dei risultati, lasciando quindi spazio per ricerche future che li testino. Inoltre, sia nella Critical Incident Technique che nei case study induttivi, la soggettività del ricercatore o degli informatori chiave potrebbe pregiudicare l’analisi e le conclusioni. Per quanto riguarda l’unità di analisi adottata, cioè la supply chain interna di un’azienda manifatturiera, limita lo studio al livello di una singola organizzazione. Infine, tre limitazioni di contenuto sono presenti: innanzitutto, la raccolta di informazioni attraverso dati secondari non ha permesso di discutere equamente tutti i driver di complessità con lo stesso livello di dettaglio; in secondo luogo, lo studio non analizza empiricamente il ruolo delle pratiche di gestione della complessità in caso di disruption; in aggiunta, la discussione approfondita è stata limitata alle cinque pratiche più rilevanti, richiedendo quindi ulteriori studi futuri.
Complexity management from the resilience perspective : an exploratory study on supply chains
NEGRI, ALESSANDRA
2016/2017
Abstract
Purpose: The study seeks to contribute to a better understanding of the relationship between supply chain complexity and resilience, considering the influence of complexity management practices on the resilience properties of a supply chain. Knowledge background: Despite the presence of literature discussing the link between supply chain complexity and resilience, the relation can be further investigated, as empirical evidence is needed. Moreover, a gap still exists about dynamic complexity drivers and complexity management practices. Research questions: The study aims at investigating how supply chain structural and dynamic complexity, as well as the corresponding management practices, influence supply chain resilience. Design/Methodology/Approach: The study is articulated in two main phases, characterized by two different research methods: Critical Incident Technique and inductive case studies. While the former was adopted to analyse the relationship between supply chain complexity and resilience, conceptualized through constituents (i.e. flexibility, visibility, velocity and collaboration), the latter was used to investigate the role of complexity management practices. Finally, results were triangulated and collected in a comprehensive summary matrix, and the five most relevant complexity management practices were deeply discussed in their contribution to supply chain resilience. Main findings: Main results qualitatively demonstrate the different impacts of different complexity drivers on the four resilience constituents: while dynamic ones only positively affect them, static ones can present also negative effects (e.g. differences between facilities in different territories decreases flexibility, velocity and collaboration). Moreover, findings assess the multiple positive and negative impacts of complexity management practices on supply chain resilience, as well as the kind of interplay of complexity drivers. Considering the five most critical practices, while centralisation of purchasing and project management increase resilience, product-centric organisational design, strategic relations with partners and suppliers, and multi-echelon ERPs and optimisation IT tools are ambivalent, showing, both positive and negative effects. Practical implications: Managers are informed of the interactions existing between the three dimensions, thus they can consider them in making supply chain design decisions and when evaluating management practices to adopt. Limitations and future developments: Main limitations are due to the adopted methodology: the qualitative inductive and exploratory approach is appropriate for theory building, without quantitatively supporting findings, opening to future theory testing. Moreover, in both Critical Incident Technique and inductive case studies, the subjectivity of the researcher or key informants may affect the analysis and its conclusions. Then, the adopted unit of analysis, i.e. the manufacturing firm’s internal supply chain, limits the study at the level of the single organisation. Finally, there are three content limitations: first, secondary-data collection did not allow to equally investigate all the supply chain complexity drivers at the same level of detail; secondly, the study does not empirically analyse the role of complexity management practices under disruption; third, the focus of discussion was limited to five dominant practices, which calls for further research on the remaining set of practices.| File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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2017_12_Negri.pdf
Open Access dal 05/12/2018
Descrizione: Thesis text
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https://hdl.handle.net/10589/137261