A dynamic literature review on lean and agile supply chain integration using bibliometric tools

Abstract

As competition continues swinging from individual 'company level' to 'supply chain (SC) level' courtesy of diverse and erratic customer behaviour in this globalisation era, survival of such SC is hinged on careful adoption of strategies aligned with organisational goals. Lean and agile are critical strategies because the former ensures efficient use of resources while the latter involves matching supply with demand in turbulent/unpredictable markets. Careful adoption of both strategies will lead to SC performance improvement. This paper aims at advancing their understanding by conducting an intensive scientific literature review to unravel the state of art of lean-agile SC by examining the procedure of knowledge conceiving, transmission, and development from a dynamic viewpoint. To achieve this, a dynamic cum quantitative review technique named 'systematic literature network analysis (SLNA)' is applied. The investigation enabled unravelling research directions/emerging themes in the lean-agile field thereby supporting researchers/newcomers to target specific themes to explore.