The ability to anticipate and respond to supply chain disruption has emerged as a vital organizational capability in an operational environment characterized by increasing levels of turbulence, uncertainty, and complexity. Collaborative relationships between internal functional areas as well as with external customers and suppliers have been proposed as a key capability for enhancing enterprise resilience. This research answers the call for empirical investigation of the effects of supply chain collaboration on the resilience of the enterprise.
The study draws on social capital theory as a lens through which the concepts of supply chain collaboration and enterprise resilience are examined. As suggested by social capital theorists, supply chain managers derive value from the network of collaborative ties they maintain with other internal and external supply chain members. Within the context of resilience and disruption risk management, the study investigates whether certain structural and relational attributes of a manager’s network of collaborative ties lead to improved performance outcomes in turbulent operational environments.
Network data were collected through a social network analysis protocol. The data collection effort is set within the context of the demand-supply planning function of the Defense Logistics Agency, a multi-billion dollar logistics provider for military customers worldwide. Multiple regression analysis was used to test the hypothesized association between key attributes of collaborative networks and performance outcomes in the face of supply chain disruption.
The results indicate certain structural and relational attributes of collaborative networks are more suitable predictors of performance during periods of disruption. Specifically, the findings suggest that managers who maintain a high proportion of external versus internal collaborative ties and who interact frequently with key contacts are more likely to perform better in turbulent environments. The research yields implications for practitioners and researchers alike.