Implementing agile supply chain strategy for improved response to market volatility: a systematic literature review

The 21st century has resulted in a rise in worldwide rivalry and client expectations, along by heightened degrees of instability and unpredictability in the market. Businesses, economics, and political settings are becoming more susceptible to unforeseen shocks and disruptions. Due to these uncertainties, organizations currently encounter several challenges in the supply chain. These challenges include adapting to fluctuations in demand, enhancing service quality, reducing inbound costs, improving on-time delivery, and shortening customer lead times. To ensure their survival, organisations must adapt to the escalating levels of demand unpredictability and prioritize the attainment of enhanced agility. Agility is the capacity to promptly adapt to shifts in market and consumer requirements, serving as a source of competitive advantage. Hence, it is imperative for organizations to revamp their supply chain in order to address the challenges of agility and maintain a competitive edge in the fiercely competitive global market. The review objective is to investigate several approaches to agile supply chain strategy implementation in order to enhance responsiveness to market volatility. The present study employs the systematic review methodology, adhering to the protocols and guidelines established by Kitchenham and Charters. The investigation is carried out utilizing online scholarly database systems, yielding a total of 135 initial publications, which are further narrowed down to 21 published studies spanning the period from 2013 to 2023. The study assists managers in discovering risk mitigation strategies that improve the flexibility of their supply chains.