Themes and methods in supply chain viability research

This paper presents a conceptual analysis of themes and methods in supply chain viability (SCV) research. We delineate SCV micro and macro perspectives, define viability capabilities, critically assess existing modelling approaches, and outline future research directions. Through analysis, SCV emerges as a concept for architecting and managing the supply chain based on proactive design of adaptability across multiple levels, including reconfigurable networks, processes, and products. We discuss synergies of SCV with resilience and show how viability extends the system boundary towards a new perspective of supply chain management, focusing on business continuity, survival, and purpose coherence. In viability research itself, we observe a transition from static optimisation to simulation-based stress testing, dynamic control, and digital twins and AI. We show that SCV research deals with complex systems characterised by non-monotonic processes, multiple operating modes, and structural dynamics, capable of coping with unknown future conditions and whose elements exhibit unpredictable, non-stationary, and non-linear behaviours. This complexity highlights the need for further research in SCV grounded in a combination of engineered variety with emergent adaptive behaviours. By consolidating a future research agenda, this paper offers a reference point for scholars and practitioners.