Digital Technologies and Supply Chain Resilience: A Resource-Action-Performance Perspective

Abstract

This study empirically examines how various digital technologies individually and collectively contribute to supply chain resilience (SCRes) in coping with major disruptions. While there is no shortage in the IS literature to study the use of digital technologies, current trend is prevailed with either the investigation of single technology or treating all deployed technologies as an undifferentiated whole. Therefore, theoretically, we aim to address the lack of conceptual clarity and insights in the use of multiple digital technologies in tandem. To operationalize this research, we deploy and build on the Resource-Action-Performance (RAP) perspective, and categorize widely used digital technologies into two, namely, resource-oriented and action-oriented technologies. We then empirically investigate how these two categories of digital technologies are orchestrated to help maintain and improve SCRes for manufacturing firms during major disruptions, in this case, Covid-19. The results show a positive effect of resource-oriented technologies on SCRes, which is mediated by action-oriented technologies. Our contributions to the IS literature are threefold. First, our study provides important theoretical insights by analytically separating and categorizing different digital technologies as a means to enrich our understanding in the use of multiple technologies in tandem. Second, we offer empirical evidence to elaborate different functions and values that different digital technologies individually and collectively contributed to firm’s capability in SCRes and its ability to cope with major disruptions. Third, our study provides practical insights into utilizing digital tools to maintain business continuity in uncertain environments.