Manufacturing Organizations’ Effective Resilience Strategies for Mitigating the Effects of Supply Chain Disruptions

Supply chain disruptions have the potential to have a negative impact on organizations of all sizes and disciplines. Leaders in manufacturing organizations must learn how to adapt to mitigate the impact of supply chain disruptions on their firm’s performance. Grounded in the dynamic capabilities theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple-case research project was to explore the strategies that leaders in manufacturing organizations use to mitigate the impact of supply chain disruptions on their organization’s profitability and market share. The participants were 15 leaders of manufacturing organizations from the United States with at least five years of experience in supply chain-related disciplines who had been successful in overcoming the challenges of supply chain disruptions. Data were collected by conducting semistructured interviews and reviewing publicly available documents from participants’ organizations. Six themes emerged from thematic analysis: (a) assessment, (b) flexibility, (c) technology, (d) collaboration, (e) people, and (f) simplification. A key recommendation for manufacturing leaders is to regularly perform assessments of the environment and to update processes and procedures after a disruption is identified in its incipient stage. Another recommendation is to pair strong relationships with a business strategy that materializes flexibility, simplification, and standardization. The implications for positive social change include providing knowledge that stakeholders can potentially use to make their organizations and local communities more resilient in the face of unforeseen catastrophes. By minimizing the impact of supply chain disruptions, organizational leaders may continue to be a source of employment and tax revenue for the communities in which they operate.