Are we truly ready for what is coming? A reflection on supply chain resilience in face of megatrends

Abstract

Supply chains (SCs) have increasingly faced major disruptive events that defy existing management approaches, affecting their processes in both the short and long term. Current megatrends (e.g., digital transformation, aging population, growing urbanization, shifts in consumer demands, geopolitical tension, depletion of natural resources, climate change) have impacted organizations, requiring managers to rethink the foundational assumptions and develop new capabilities to obtain more resilient SCs. In this study, we analyse the readiness of SCs for coping with disruptions caused by seven megatrends. Based on extensive debates among the authors and supported by a narrative literature review, we framed this analysis according to four potentials of resilient systems (monitoring, anticipation, responding, and learning) and three types of SC structure (linear, networked, and hub-and-spoke). We debated and pooled our viewpoints to identify readiness levels for coping with each megatrend, which allowed the formulation of research propositions to be further investigated. Overall, the readiness of all resilience potentials varies across megatrends and SC structures, although the potentials to anticipate, respond and learn seem to be less developed (either lowly or moderately ready) than monitoring, especially when considering disruptions caused by changing demographics and climate change. Further, linear SCs appear to be more vulnerable to most megatrends. Finally, we outline opportunities for further investigation regarding SCs resilience to megatrends’ disruptions.