Resilience in the Age of Disruption: How Digitalisation Enhances Supply Chain Robustness

Abstract

The article explores the role of digital tool adoption in supply chain resilience in environments prone to disruptions. It is against a backdrop of repeated shocks and the complexity of a growing web of relationships that digital transformation is being considered a prime facilitator of strong, resilient supply chains. The first point is to evaluate the extent to which the breadth and strength of digitalisation, along with the structural properties of the supply network, can explain differences in firms’ resilience. The research design is quantitative and cross-sectional, which is a self-administered survey. The research used 271 organisations operating mainly in Lebanon and Romania, where the data were collected, and focused on supply chain and operations and logistics managers. Supply chain resilience and digitalisation were measured using multi-item Likert scales, and the other control variables were the firm size, sector, scope of operation and network complexity. The proposed relationships were tested using hierarchical multiple regression. The findings indicate that the use of digital tools and post-COVID digitalisation initiatives has a significant and positive impact on supply chain resilience, regardless of traditional structural factors. Network complexity is also a strong, positive predictor, indicating that complex, digitally enabled networks can increase adaptive capacity. The article is empirically original and presents a generalised, integrated definition of digitalisation, grounded in an under-investigated regional background. It concludes that digital transformation should be considered one of the key pillars of the resilience strategy and outlines implications for managers and policymakers.

Keywords: Supply Chain Resilience, Digitalisation, External Shocks, Digital Tools Adoption, Pandemic Disruptions, Geopolitical Risks, Supply Network Robustness

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