Document Type

Article

Rights

Available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike 4.0 International Licence

Disciplines

Business and Management.

Publication Details

International Journal of Physical Distribution and Logistics Management, Volume 40 Number 8/9, 2010. Available from the Publisher here http://www.emeraldinsight.com/search.htm?st1=brian+fynes&ct=jnl&fd1=all&bl2=and&st2=0960-0035&fd2=isn

Abstract

Purpose - This paper explores the concept of agility in the context of supply chains of humanitarian aid (HA) organizations, particularly Non Government Organizations (NGOs). This responds to the increasing pressure on NGOs to use their resources more strategically if they are to gain donor trust and long term commitment. Design/ Methodology/Approach - A literature based approach that extends the commercial supply chain concept of agility to NGOs is combined with the first exploratory semi structured interviews of these concepts with five NGO supply chain directors. Findings – The commercial concept of agility when responding to disaster relief holds strong potential for increasing efficiency and effectiveness, but this application is restrained by the absence of supporting Information Technology (IT) and the relegation of supply chain management (SCM) to the ‘back office’ by NGOs. This has potential implications for NGOs and other humanitarian aid agencies. Research Limitations - This paper represents an exploratory study, and an extended pool of interviewees would reinforce the qualitative findings. Planned future research will address this issue. Practical Implications - Practical guidance on how NGOs can proactively manage their organization’s ability to respond with agility in a highly pressured environment is provided. Originality - This paper is the first to offer practical guidance to managers of NGOs on strategies available to improve their organization’s flexibility and agility, based on theoretical concepts and initial exploratory data. In addition, evidence of how commercial tools apply in a different arena may prompt commercial managers to be more innovative in utilizing and customizing supply chain principles to their particular context of operation. Keywords – Supply Chain Management, Agility, Leagility, NGO Paper type – Research Paper

DOI

10.21427/D7RN43

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