Entrepreneurial Leadership, Supply Chain Innovation, and Adaptability: A Cross-national Investigation

Abstract

This study investigates the effects of entrepreneurial leadership on supply chain innovation and supply chain adaptability. Based on theoretical foundations of the upper echelon theory and the dynamic capability theory, it also assesses the mediating role played by supply chain innovation in the relationship between entrepreneurial leadership and supply chain adaptability. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was performed on survey data collected from 139 firms in Sudan, Japan, and China. The results reveal that entrepreneurial leadership had positive effects on supply chain innovation and supply chain adaptability despite varying business environments. The results also provided interesting findings regarding the moderating role of supply chain innovation as a mediator of the relationship between entrepreneurial leadership and supply chain adaptability. The findings of the study stress the importance of entrepreneurial leadership for firms’ adaptability across nations. Although the number of countries included in this study was limited, these countries exhibit different cultural and structural settings. These findings suggest the possibility of the generalizability of the results. The findings also imply that firms should place greater emphasis on improving their supply chain processes and upgrading relevant technologies in order to facilitate the development of adaptable supply chains.

Impact of entrepreneurial leadership on supply chain performance: the mediating role of supply chain resilience

“…They continuously focus on improving the existing processes and also try to find new ones (Latif et al, 2020). Abdalla and Nakagawa (2022) considered EL as a dynamic capability that helps in proactively recognizing the opportunities and exploiting the resources throughout the supply chain resulting in increasing adaptability and innovation of the supply chain, resulting in enhanced performances. Witschel et al (2022) suggested that EL is motivated and promotes risk-taking and experimentation to discover and learn the new opportunities available in the changing environment.…”

“…Abdalla and Nakagawa (2022) considered EL as a dynamic capability that helps in proactively recognizing the opportunities and exploiting the resources throughout the supply chain resulting in increasing adaptability and innovation of the supply chain, resulting in enhanced performances. Witschel et al.…”

“…It is significant to study the role of the manager in achieving SCR, as they are the ones who are responsible for making decisions in uncertain situations (Villena et al, 2018). Managers' opinions, decisions and behavior are the key determining factors in the firms' actions and future (Lee and Nam, 2016;Abdalla and Nakagawa, 2022). Top-level managers' role is vital in deciding which capability bundles will the firm invest in (Lin and Yi, 2022).…”

“…, 2018). Managers' opinions, decisions and behavior are the key determining factors in the firms' actions and future (Lee and Nam, 2016; Abdalla and Nakagawa, 2022). Top-level managers' role is vital in deciding which capability bundles will the firm invest in (Lin and Yi, 2022).…”

Digital Supply Chain Twins for Sustainable Planning of a Logistics System

“…One of the greatest overall societal, economic and political challenge of recent times has not yet been named: The climate change. Logistics has a crucial function in meeting this challenge by planning and operating sustainable value chains [6].…”