Order from Chaos: A Meta‐analysis of Supply Chain Complexity and Firm Performance

Melek Akin Ates, Robert Suurmond*, Davide Luzzini, Dan Krause

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Increased globalization, varying customer requirements, extended product lines, uncertainty regarding supplier performance, and myriad related factors make supply chains utterly complex. While previous research indicates that supply chain complexity plays an important role in explaining performance outcomes, the accumulating evidence is ambiguous. Thus, a finer‐grained analysis is required. By meta‐analyzing 27,668 observations across 102 independent samples from 123 empirical studies, we examine the link between supply chain complexity and firm performance. While the preponderance of evidence from previous studies identifies supply chain complexity as detrimental to firm performance, our results illustrate that although supply chain complexity has a negative effect on operational performance, it has a positive effect on innovation performance and financial performance. Furthermore, we also distinguish among different levels of supply chain (i.e., upstream, downstream, and internal) and observe nuanced findings. Finally, our findings also reveal moderating effects of construct operationalization and study design characteristics. We discuss implications for theory and practice and provide avenues for future research.
Original languageEnglish
Article numbere12264
Pages (from-to)3-30
Number of pages28
JournalJournal of Supply Chain Management
Volume58
Issue number1
Early online date27 Jun 2021
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jan 2022

Keywords

  • meta-analysis
  • meta-regression
  • performance
  • supply chain complexity
  • SERVICE INNOVATION
  • ENTREPRENEURIAL ORIENTATION
  • COMPANY PERFORMANCE
  • ENVIRONMENTAL DYNAMISM
  • NETWORK STRUCTURE
  • PRODUCT VARIETY
  • OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE
  • INFORMATION-SYSTEMS
  • BUSINESS PERFORMANCE
  • MODERATING ROLE

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