Purpose

This study aims to examine the full mediating role of supply chain flexibility (SCF) between lean production (LP) and business performance (BP) found in the previous literature. This effect negates the direct LP-BP effect (the so-called “total eclipse effect”). The authors analyze the individual contributions that the different SCF dimensions (sourcing flexibility; operating system flexibility, distribution flexibility and information system [IS] flexibility) make to the “total eclipse effect” between LP and BP produced by SCF. The relational resources-based view and resource orchestration theory are used to support the theoretical framework.

Design/methodology/approach

Covariance-based structural equations modeling (CB-SEM) is used to test the SCF LP-BP total eclipse hypothesis and four additional mediation hypotheses, one for each of the SCF dimensions. Data obtained via a questionnaire given to 260 companies are analyzed with CB-SEM, and SPSS Process is used to evaluate the mediation effect.

Findings

Research results indicate that only one of the dimensions (operating system flexibility) has a full mediation effect between LP and BP and is, therefore, the main contributor to the eclipse effect. Two other dimensions (sourcing flexibility and distribution flexibility) have partial mediation effects, so they also contribute to developing the eclipse effect, although to a lesser extent. Finally, IS flexibility is neither a full nor a partial mediation factor and does not contribute to the eclipse effect.

Originality/value

These findings have some important implications. For academia, they generate new knowledge of the role that each of the SCF dimensions or components plays in the LP-BP relationship. For company management, the findings offer supply chain managers specific information on the individual effects that the different types of SCF flexibility have between LP and BP. This will allow companies to target their efforts to develop certain types of flexibility in LP contexts depending on the outcomes that senior managers want to achieve with their SCs.

中文翻译：

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揭开精益生产环境中供应链灵活性的黑匣子

目的

本研究旨在检验先前文献中发现的供应链灵活性（SCF）在精益生产（LP）和业务绩效（BP）之间的充分中介作用。这种效应抵消了直接的 LP-BP 效应（即所谓的“日全食效应”）。作者分析了不同 SCF 维度（采购灵活性、操作系统灵活性、分销灵活性和信息系统 [IS] 灵活性）对 SCF 产生的 LP 和 BP 之间的“日全食效应”的贡献。基于关系资源的观点和资源编排理论用于支撑理论框架。

设计/方法论/途径

基于协方差的结构方程建模 (CB-SEM) 用于检验 SCF LP-BP 全食假说和四个附加中介假说，每个 SCF 维度一个。通过对 260 家公司进行问卷调查获得的数据采用 CB-SEM 进行分析，并使用 SPSS Process 来评估中介效果。

发现

研究结果表明，只有一个维度（操作系统灵活性）在 LP 和 BP 之间具有充分的中介作用，因此是日食效应的主要贡献者。另外两个维度（采购灵活性和分销灵活性）具有部分中介效应，因此它们也有助于发展日食效应，尽管程度较小。最后，IS 灵活性既不是全部也不是部分中介因素，并且不会促成日食效应。

原创性/价值

这些发现有一些重要的意义。对于学术界来说，它们产生了关于每个 SCF 维度或组件在 LP-BP 关系中所扮演的角色的新知识。对于公司管理层而言，研究结果为供应链管理者提供了关于不同类型的供应链金融灵活性对有限合伙人和BP之间的个体影响的具体信息。这将使公司能够根据高级管理人员希望通过 SC 实现的结果，有针对性地在 LP 环境中开发某些类型的灵活性。