Purpose

The COVID-19 outbreak has imposed extensive shocks embracing all stages of the food supply chain (FSC). Although the magnitude is still unfolding, the FSC responds with remarkable speed, to mitigate the disruptive consequences and sustain operations. This paper aims to investigate how operationalising supply chain agility (SCA) practices has occurred amid the COVID-19 crisis and expectations for how those practices could transform the supply chain in the post-COVID-19 era.

Design/methodology/approach

Following an exploratory case-based design, this paper examines the various agile responses that three supply chains (meat, fresh vegetables and bread) adopted and elaborate using the dynamic capability (DC) theoretical lens.

Findings

First, the findings demonstrate how, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, each affected case pursued various agile responses through sensing and seizing capabilities. Sensing includes identifying and assessing the relevant opportunities and threats associated with the specific supply chain context. Seizing involves acquiring, combining and modifying the tangible and intangible resources at the firm and supply chain levels. Second, supply chain transformation is likely if firms and their supply chain develop the sustaining capability to ensure that the desirable changes outlast the crisis.

Practical implications

This study provides an actionable guide for practitioners to develop agile responses to systemic changes in times of crisis and to sustain favourable changes so as to enable their outlasting of the crisis.

Originality/value

This study provides a novel and unique perspective on the role of SCA in crisis – in this case, the pandemic. This paper synthesises the empirical stories of the agile responses in the FSC and elaborates on the DC framework, to identify theoretical and practical implications. This paper establishes the sustaining capability as the missing DC capability for enabling transformation in the post-COVID-19 era.

中文翻译：

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应对前所未有变化的供应链敏捷性：来自 COVID-19 危机期间英国食品供应链的经验证据

目的

COVID-19 爆发对食品供应链 (FSC) 的所有阶段造成了广泛冲击。尽管规模仍在扩大，但 FSC 以惊人的速度做出响应，以减轻破坏性后果并维持运营。本文旨在调查在 COVID-19 危机期间如何实施供应链敏捷性 (SCA) 实践，以及对这些实践如何在后 COVID-19 时代改变供应链的期望。

设计/方法/方法

在基于探索性案例的设计之后，本文使用动态能力 (DC) 理论视角检查了三个供应链（肉类、新鲜蔬菜和面包）采用和阐述的各种敏捷响应。

发现

首先，研究结果表明，在 COVID-19 大流行之后，每个受影响的案例如何通过感知和捕捉能力来寻求各种敏捷响应。感知包括识别和评估与特定供应链环境相关的相关机会和威胁。夺取涉及在公司和供应链层面获取、组合和修改有形和无形资源。其次，如果企业及其供应链发展了可持续能力，以确保理想的变革能够在危机中持续，那么供应链转型是可能的。

实际影响

本研究为从业者在危机时期对系统性变化制定敏捷反应并维持有利变化以使其能够度过危机提供了可操作的指南。

原创性/价值

这项研究为 SCA 在危机中的作用提供了一个新颖而独特的视角 - 在这种情况下，是大流行。本文综合了 FSC 中敏捷响应的经验故事，并详细阐述了 DC 框架，以确定理论和实践意义。本文将维持能力确立为在后 COVID-19 时代实现转型所缺失的 DC 能力。