Evaluating Supply Chain Collaboration: Do we understand the link Between Strategy and Performance?

Abstract

Since the 1990s, researchers have argued that appropriate management of supply chain relationships is a determinant of firm performance. The literature posits that managing relationships to enable the co-mingling of complementary competencies across a supply chain network can help a firm establish a distinctive advantage. We review the theoretical conceptualization and operationalization of these tightly coupled supply chain relationships. Focusing on 15 leading supply chain journals, we identified and evaluated 50 theory-driven articles from the supply chain collaboration and integration literatures. We find that although the co-mingling of competencies is a central theme within supply chain research, major methodological and measurement issues blur our understanding of the nature of the link between relational strategies and performance. Clarity is needed regarding 1) the conditions under which tightly coupled relationships are justified, 2) the elements that constitute an effective relational infrastructure, and 3) how these elements can be dynamically configured to deliver superior value and firm performance over time.