Flexibility in Enhancing Supply Chain Resilience: Developing a Resilience Capability Portfolio in the Event of Severe Disruption

Abstract

The current study aimed to determine alternative configurations of supply chain resilience strategies for managing supply chain performance (SCP) during a severe disruption. To do this, a multi-method and multi-study approach was adopted. Phase 1 of the study employed a qualitative approach to explore supply chain risk factors and their mitigation strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic. In Phase 2, the quality function deployment technique was used alongside quantitative case studies to determine the most critical risk factors and most crucial resilience strategies. The final phase, Phase 3, used fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis to determine the alternative portfolio of strategies for SCP to create flexibility when employing resilience strategies. The results revealed that implementing resilience strategies alone is ineffective in improving SCP, while resilience strategies combined with the nullification of risk factors enhance SCP. The study also revealed two alternative configurations of resilience strategies to tackle the relevant risk factors. These findings can be used to guide managers toward identifying the most suitable configuration of resilience strategies to manage severe and unprecedented supply chain risk. The alternative configurations of resilience strategies can also provide flexibility to managers in deciding the best course of action for their firms.