Purpose – This paper aims to explore how collaboration influences supply chain resilience. Collaborative activities and their underlying mechanisms in relation to visibility, velocity and flexibility are investigated. Design/methodology/approach – An exploratory case study consisting of eight buyer–supplier relationships in the food processing industry was conducted. Findings – Key findings show how specific collaborative activities (information-sharing, collaborative communication, mutually created knowledge and joint relationship efforts) increase supply chain resilience via increased visibility, velocity and flexibility. Underlying mechanisms and interdependencies of these factors within the supply chain network are identified. Originality/value – This is one of the first papers to provide in-depth insights into collaboration as a formative element of resilience in a supply chain setting. A series of propositions explain the specific influence of collaborative activities on supply chain resilience beyond a single company perspective.

If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -This study aims to combine theory and practice to develop an integrated supply chain resilience framework by investigating the interdependencies between the strategic literature based concept of supply chain resilience and operational practitioner based disaster management processes. Design/methodology/approach -Utilising an in-depth qualitative case of a collaborative agency, this study identifies best practices within disaster management for insights on the operationalisation of supply chain resilience. Findings -The empirical data leads to the development of an integrated supply chain resilience framework capturing the interplay of disaster management processes and capabilities required to build supply chain resilience. The critical importance of mitigation processes in building supply chain resilience is highlighted. Practical implications -The generic supply chain resilience framework represents a valuable guide for managers when directing resources and planning for building the capabilities required in each phase of disaster management, while remaining strategically focused. The value of the framework is demonstrated by a retrospective analysis of aid operations in response to Hurricane Katrina. Originality/value -The study's results are the first to bridge theory and practice on supply chain resilience. By utilising the unique humanitarian aid disaster supply chain management context, a two-way knowledge and learning flow between humanitarian and commercial organisations is established.

AcknowledgementsThis special issue would not have been possible without the contribution made by an impressive team of expert reviewers who provided their time and insights to develop the submissions. The authors would like to acknowledge and thank the following reviewers:

Purpose-Organisations must build resilience to be able to deal with disruptions or nonroutine events in their supply chains. While learning is implicit in definitions of supply chain resilience, there is little understanding of how exactly organisations can adapt their routines to build resilience. The aim of this study is to address this gap. Design/Methodology/Approach-An in-depth qualitative case study based on 28 interviews across five companies exploring learning to build supply chain resilience. Findings-This study uncovers six learning mechanisms and their antecedents that foster supply chain resilience. The learning mechanisms identified suggest that, through knowledge creation within an organisation and knowledge transfer across the supply chain and broader network of stakeholders, operating routines are built and/ or adapted both intentionally and unintentionally during three stages of a supply chain disruption: preparation, response and recovery. Practical implications-This study shows how the impact of a supply chain disruption may be reduced by intentional and unintentional learning in all three disruption phases. By being aware of the antecedents of unintentional learning organisations can more consciously adapt routines. Furthermore, findings highlight the potential value of additional attention to knowledge transfer, particularly in relation to collaborative and vicarious learning across the supply chain and broader network of stakeholders not only in preparation for, but also in response to and recovery from disruptions. Originality/Value-This study contributes novel insights about how learning leads both directly and indirectly to the evolution of operating routines that help an organisation and its supply chains to deal with disruptions. Results detail six specific learning mechanisms for knowledge creation and knowledge transfer and their antecedents for building supply chain resilience. In doing so, this study provides new fine grained theoretical insights about how supply chain resilience can be improved through all three phases of a disruption. Propositions are developed for theory development.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore 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/approachA 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.FindingsThe 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 HA agencies.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper represents an exploratory study, and an extended pool of interviewees would reinforce the qualitative findings. Planned future research will address this issue.Practical implicationsPractical guidance on how NGOs can proactively manage their organization's ability to respond with agility in a highly pressured environment is provided.Originality/valueThis 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.