Studying Integration In Embedded Supply Chains: the multi-orchestration perspective

Abstract

ABSTRACT The idea that a company should integrate its supply chain has dominated logistics and SCM research since the 1980s. While this perspective has advanced our understanding of external integration, the community is increasingly calling to go past it. Building on extant criticism, this conceptual article aims to introduce a new perspective for the study of external integration. Using the problematisation method, we take the alternative stance of organisation theory and meta-organisations to formalise a new, multiple supply chain orchestration perspective. This perspective relies on three assumptions about external integration: 1) differentiation, which states that integration is mostly promoted in supply chains by orchestrators (leader firms and Lead Logistics Service Providers) and meta-orchestrators (standards associations and clusters); 2) interdependence, which states that the integrative actions in supply chains of organisations and meta-organisations are interdependent; 3) embeddedness, which states that integration should be analysed in embedded supply chains. Finally, the paper introduces a research agenda that identifies research questions on external integration.