Supply chain flexibility and anticipation are key to both agility and resilience
Investing in capabilities that allow for rapid adjustment of tactics and operations, alongside environmental scanning and anticipation, simultaneously enhances both a supply chain's agility and its resilience.
The International Journal of Logistics Management · 2019
Key Findings
- 01Agility is characterized by speed, flexibility, anticipation, customization, and process integration.
- 02Resilience is characterized by resistance, avoidance, recovery, speed, flexibility, and anticipation.
- 03Flexibility, speed of operations, and environmental scanning/anticipation are common dimensions to both agility and resilience.
Application
Design takeaway
Prioritize the development of flexible operational capabilities and sophisticated environmental scanning systems, as these directly contribute to both a supply chain's ability to adapt to new opportunities and its capacity to withstand and recover from disruptions.
How to apply
When designing or redesigning supply chain strategies, explicitly evaluate and invest in components that enhance flexibility and predictive capabilities, recognizing their dual impact on agility and resilience.
Project actions
- 01When defining the scope of your design project, consider how your proposed solution impacts both responsiveness to change and robustness against disruption.
- 02Use the identified common dimensions (flexibility, speed, anticipation) as criteria for evaluating design choices.
Method & Evidence
Variables
Strengths & Limitations
Strengths
- +Multidisciplinary approach provides a comprehensive view.
- +Identifies actionable common dimensions for strategic focus.
Limitations
The literature review may not capture the nuances of specific industry implementations or the challenges of integrating these concepts in practice.
Reliability & validity
The reliability of the findings depends on the thoroughness and systematic nature of the literature review. Validity is enhanced by drawing from multiple disciplines, but the practical applicability may need further empirical validation.
Think critically
To what extent can a single design intervention truly optimize for both maximum agility and maximum resilience, or are there inherent trade-offs that need to be managed?
Design Principles
"Invest in dual-purpose capabilities that serve both adaptive (agility) and robust (resilience) needs."
Understanding the overlapping dimensions of agility and resilience allows businesses to optimize resource allocation. By focusing on these shared characteristics, companies can achieve a dual benefit, improving their ability to respond to change and recover from disruptions with more efficient investments.
What This Means for Your Design
To make a supply chain good at both changing quickly and bouncing back from problems, focus on making it flexible and good at predicting what's coming.
How to use in your project
- 1.Reference this research when discussing the strategic importance of flexibility and anticipation in your design project's context, particularly when justifying design choices that enhance both agility and resilience.
Add to My Project
Quick Cite
(2019). Distinguishing between the concepts of supply chain agility and resilience. The International Journal of Logistics Management. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijlm-10-2017-0259 Retrieved from https://designdex.org/study/a61367f8-9aa3-440e-8c55-eee61fbb3e39/supply-chain-flexibility-and-anticipation-are-key-to-both-agility-and-resilience
Paragraph starter
This research highlights that supply chain flexibility and environmental anticipation are critical shared characteristics of both agility and resilience. By focusing design efforts on enhancing these dimensions, such as through modular product design or advanced forecasting systems, a design project can effectively improve a supply chain's capacity to adapt to new opportunities and recover from disruptions, thereby optimizing resource investment.
Source
The International Journal of Logistics Management
Distinguishing between the concepts of supply chain agility and resilience
journal · 2019
View sourceQuestions about this research
- What does the research say about supply chain flexibility and anticipation are key to both agility and resilience?
- Prioritize the development of flexible operational capabilities and sophisticated environmental scanning systems, as these directly contribute to both a supply chain's ability to adapt to new opportunities and its capacity to withstand and recover from disruptions. Evidence: The International Journal of Logistics Management (2019).
- Why does "Supply chain flexibility and anticipation are key to both agility and resilience" matter for design?
- Understanding the overlapping dimensions of agility and resilience allows businesses to optimize resource allocation. By focusing on these shared characteristics, companies can achieve a dual benefit, improving their ability to respond to change and recover from disruptions with more efficient investments.
- How can designers apply this research?
- Prioritize the development of flexible operational capabilities and sophisticated environmental scanning systems, as these directly contribute to both a supply chain's ability to adapt to new opportunities and its capacity to withstand and recover from disruptions.
- What were the main findings?
- Agility is characterized by speed, flexibility, anticipation, customization, and process integration.. Resilience is characterized by resistance, avoidance, recovery, speed, flexibility, and anticipation.. Flexibility, speed of operations, and environmental scanning/anticipation are common dimensions to both agility and resilience.
- What research method was used?
- Systematic literature review.
- How strong is the evidence?
- Evidence strength is rated Strong effect, based on a 2019 journal from The International Journal of Logistics Management.
- What should I do differently in my next project?
- When designing or redesigning supply chain strategies, explicitly evaluate and invest in components that enhance flexibility and predictive capabilities, recognizing their dual impact on agility and resilience.
- What are the limitations?
- The study is based on a literature review, and the practical implementation and measurement of these dimensions may vary across different industries and organizational contexts.
- Is there evidence that agility resilience affects design outcomes?
- The research found that supply chains that are flexible, can operate at speed, and actively scan and anticipate environmental changes possess both agility and resilience. Understanding the overlapping dimensions of agility and resilience allows businesses to optimize resource allocation. By focusing on these shared cha Source: The International Journal of Logistics Management (2019).
- Where does this supply chain research apply?
- Supply chain management and logistics It sits within commercial production research on designdex.org.
Related research topics
agility resilience design research · evidence on agility resilience · does agility resilience improve design outcomes · supply chain studies for designers · agility resilience and supply chain findings · commercial production research evidence