Mastery of operational competencies in the context of supply chain management

Abstract

Purpose

According to the most recent theories, the competitiveness of organizations is based on the development of competencies. Core competencies result from greater mastery than competitors of organizational abilities valued by customers. This paper seeks to investigate how a more thorough integration of the supply chain may be associated with greater mastery of operational competencies.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is based on a mail survey carried out among Canadian manufacturing companies.

Findings

The statistical analyses identified four clusters of respondents with regard to their supply chain management practices. These practices may be either distant or integrated with upstream or downstream partners. The other component of the study made it possible to identify four operational competencies – i.e. cost, delivery, logistic services, and design. It was observed that the group with the most highly integrated supply practices mastered an operational competency in logistic services.

Research limitations/implications

The limited size of the sample and its regional character may limit the generalization of results. The study will therefore be reproduced in other regions of the world.

Originality/value

Very little research has been done on the impact of supply chain management on operational competencies. Using the results of an empirical study, the paper provides a better understanding of the relationship between supply chain management practices and the development of operational competencies. It also offers a somewhat different view of the concept of supply chain integration.

Citation

Halley, A. and Beaulieu, M. (2009), "Mastery of operational competencies in the context of supply chain management", Supply Chain Management, Vol. 14 No. 1, pp. 49-63. https://doi.org/10.1108/13598540910927304