Harnessing the dimensions of supply chain collaboration to promote innovation and flexibility in buyer-supplier relationships: Insights from fsQCA and NCA

Abstract

While the symmetric effects of supply chain collaboration (SCC) on innovation and flexibility from a probabilistic sufficiency perspective are well documented, prior research on the asymmetric effects of the dimensions of SCC on innovation and flexibility from a deterministic sufficiency perspective is scarce. However, understanding how the dimensions asymmetrically relate to innovation and flexibility can help uncover the SCC dimensions that are individually necessary (deterministic necessity perspective) and jointly sufficient (deterministic sufficiency perspective) for innovation and flexibility. Accordingly, we assume a deterministic perspective (i.e., deterministic sufficiency and necessity) to investigate the asymmetric effects of the dimensions of SCC on innovation and flexibility by unravelling the (a) dimensions of SCC that are necessary for innovation and flexibility and (b) combinations of SCC dimensions that enhance innovation and flexibility among supply chain partners in Ghana's downstream petroleum sector. With a sample of 166 firms, we used fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to unearth the causal, complex, but sufficient configurations of SCC dimensions that drive innovation and flexibility. Necessary Condition Analysis (NCA) was also employed to ascertain the necessity (both in kind and degree) of each SCC dimension for innovation and flexibility. Whereas our fsQCA analysis reveals four pathways, each with different configurations for flexibility and innovation, NCA results suggest that all SCC dimensions are necessary for innovation and flexibility, albeit at different levels. Accordingly, we highlight the importance of complementing two asymmetric analysis approaches to provide nuanced insights into how SCC dimensions drive innovation and flexibility.