The mediating role of supply chain integration to supply chain resilience – an empirical study on SRDI SMEs in new energy vehicle supply chains

Purpose The increasingly volatile risk environment has made small and medium enterprises (SMEs) more vulnerable to disruptions, but one group of SMEs, SRDI (specialized, refined, distinctive and innovative) in China, has shown greater supply chain resilience (SCRe). Design/methodology/approach Based on the dynamic capability view and stakeholder theory, this study examines how SRDI SMEs facing supply chain risk (SCR) can utilize supply chain integration (SCI) to achieve SCRe. We test the research model by performing structural equation analysis on sample data from 120 SRDI SMEs in new energy vehicle (NEV) supply chains. Findings The results suggest that SCR can motivate SRDI SMEs in NEV supply chains to engage in supplier and customer integration, but it is not sufficient to promote internal integration (II). The conclusions also show that supplier and customer integration positively influence SCRe. Although II shows no direct impact on SCRe, it can indirectly affect SCRe through supplier and customer integration. We further find that supplier integration and customer integration mediate between SCR and SCRe, respectively. Originality/value This paper enriches the SCRe literature, and the findings inform the use of SCI by SRDI SMEs to improve SCRe in a dynamic environment.