Abstract
PurposeThe purpose of this study is to empirically evaluate the relationship between learning culture, workforce level, human capital and operational performance in two diverse supply chain populations, aircraft maintenance and logistics readiness.Design/methodology/approachDrawing upon competence-based view of the firm and human capital theory, this paper analyzes data from two studies.FindingsThe results provide support for the hypothesized model. Workforce level moderates the relationship between learning culture and human capital, and human capital partially mediates the relationship between learning culture and operational performance.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings have implications for behavioral supply chain management research and implications for educating and training the supply chain management workforce. While the populations represent a diverse set of logistics functions and responsibilities, the participants are all military members, which may limit generalizability.Practical implicationsThis study should help leaders understand the importance of learning culture and the perceived differences in its effect on human capital based upon workforce level.Originality/valueThis research is among the first to investigate the role of workforce level and answers a multitude of calls for research into the human side of supply chain management.
Highlights
Researchers acknowledge that supply chain management is first and foremost about the people that make up the supply chain workforce; studying those people remains the most underrepresented topic in supply chain management research (Myers, Griffith, Daugherty, and Lusch, 2004; Sweeney, 2013; Wieland et al, 2016; Schorsch et al, 2017)
H1 proposed that learning culture and human capital, while positive, will differ based upon workforce level
We expand the supply chain literature by offering a better understanding of how learning culture influences supply chain managers at different workforce levels and how that influence changes the perception of human capital within the firm
Summary
Researchers acknowledge that supply chain management is first and foremost about the people that make up the supply chain workforce; studying those people remains the most underrepresented topic in supply chain management research (Myers, Griffith, Daugherty, and Lusch, 2004; Sweeney, 2013; Wieland et al, 2016; Schorsch et al, 2017). Workforce competence in the form of human capital is significant to supply chain operational and financial performance and may very well be the only sustainable competitive advantage (Stata, 1989; Bowersox et al, 2000; Ellinger et al, 2002; Derwik and Hellström, 2017). This leads to our research question: RQ. Human capital and operational performance related and what is the role of workforce level in that relationship?
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