To read this content please select one of the options below:

Logistics digitalization and the third-party logistics blue-collar employees performance: the role of paradoxical leader behavior

Muhammad Hasan Ashraf (Department of Management/HRM, College of Business, California State University Long Beach, Long Beach, California, USA)
Anis Triki (College of Business, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island, USA)
Mehmet G. Yalcin (College of Business, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island, USA) (Management Information Systems, Fatih Sultan Mehmet Vakıf University, İstanbul, Türkiye)

The International Journal of Logistics Management

ISSN: 0957-4093

Article publication date: 26 November 2024

90

Abstract

Purpose

This study examines the impact of third-party logistics (3PL) supervisors’ paradoxical leader behavior (PLB) on the relationship between logistics digitalization and 3PL blue-collar employee performance. 3PLs often lag in digitalization due to blue-collar employees struggling with learning paradoxes, i.e. the tension between abandoning the known methods in favor of new ones. In such situations, 3PL supervisors play a crucial role in helping their subordinates manage these tensions. By incorporating a paradox theory lens, we propose that 3PL supervisors’ PLB acts as a supportive tool, motivating blue-collar employees to address learning paradoxes, thereby improving their operational performance.

Design/methodology/approach

We conduct a scenario-based behavioral experiment in which participants assume the role of a package sorter in a fictional 3PL hub setting. Participants engage in a custom-designed package sorting game that mimics a real-life hub sorting operation.

Findings

The results indicate that digitalization combined with supervisors’ PLB significantly improves blue-collar employee performance, with the most substantial improvement observed in the high digitalization and high PLB condition than all other conditions.

Originality/value

Our research examines the impact of digitalization on blue-collar employees’ performance through a paradox theory lens. We demonstrate that 3PLs can maximize digitalization benefits by ensuring supervisors exhibit high PLB. Also, we introduce a package sorting game for researchers to conduct experiments related to digitalization and hub operations.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the valuable feedback provided by Dr Martin Dresner (University of Maryland), Dr Mehdi T. Hossain (University of Rhode Island), Dr Stu (Wes) Westin (University of Rhode Island), Dr Stephanie Eckerd (University of Tennessee), Dr Shingo Goto (University of Rhode Island) and Derek Dubois (University of Rhode Island) for this research. The authors also wish to thank the 3PL professionals for their invaluable contributions, which significantly improved the experimental tool.

Citation

Ashraf, M.H., Triki, A. and Yalcin, M.G. (2024), "Logistics digitalization and the third-party logistics blue-collar employees performance: the role of paradoxical leader behavior", The International Journal of Logistics Management, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJLM-03-2024-0194

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2024, Emerald Publishing Limited

Related articles