Flexibility and adaptability in supply chains: a lesson learnt from a practitioner

Abstract

Abstract Purpose – Facing uncertain demand and supply, customers and suppliers are encouraged to make their supply chain more flexible and adaptive to the environment. The primary objective of this paper is to gain an understanding of the issues surrounding flexibility and adaptability in supply chain management from an industrial practitioner. Design/methodology/approach – A semi‐structured interview and follow up interviews were conducted with a logistics manager of a renowned international company. Findings – The study supports that the aforementioned characteristics, flexibility and adaptability, are useful in practical supply chain applications. Some practical advice is also reported. Originality/value – This paper bridges the gap between academic theoretical studies and the expectations from an industrial practitioner regarding flexibility and adaptability in supply chain management. A similar study could be extended to more industrial practitioners in order to collect more useful opinions from them.