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This paper aims to investigate supply chain (SC) strategies, analyzing the adoption of lean, agile, leagile and traditional SC strategies with respect to product characteristics, environmental uncertainty, business performance and innovation performance.

The paper presents an empirical analysis carried out on a sample of 329 companies. Cluster analysis was applied, based on lean and agile SC characteristics, to identify patterns among different SC strategies. One-way analysis of variance of different constructs by types of SC clusters was conducted to test the research hypotheses.

Cluster analysis indicates that the companies studied adopt four types of SC strategies – lean, agile, leagile and traditional. The differences between the clusters are identified and discussed, highlighting that companies adopting a leagile SC strategy present the highest performance, while those that adopt a traditional SC present the lowest; companies adopting an agile SC compete in the most complex and dynamic environments, while companies with a lean SC present a clear predominance of functional rather than innovative products.

This paper provides empirical evidence of the antecedents and consequences of the adoption of different SC strategies. As a limitation, the results are based on a survey research with a limited sample size.

Based on the analysis of the relationship between constructs that have not been addressed previously, the paper adds to the knowledge regarding the role of SC strategies, as well as the antecedents and consequences of their adoption. The results may support managers in the difficult task of choosing the “right” SC strategy.

This study aims to address Industry 4.0 (I4.0) technologies that can improve the research and implementation of lean supply chain management (LSCM) and the enhanced LSCM subfields in I4.0 technologies.

The authors conducted a systematic literature review to detect, categorize and assess recent data, highlighting patterns and providing suggestions for potential research in this field, to investigate I4.0 literature and its effect on LSCM. The authors examined 79 published types of research from the Scopus database that were published between 2010 and 2021 and classified them into four LSCM fields: logistics, production, supply chain and marketing.

The authors can emphasize the fact that the literature on this topic is in progress, from early German academic research to the current creation of new effects around the world. The majority of the potential effects investigated were discovered to improve specific areas that ultimately enhance the practices of the four LSCM domains as well as performance outcomes. The authors were also able to assess the extent to which present and upcoming I4.0 technologies can improve LSCM research and implementation.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study of its kind. Although some research looked into various areas of I4.0 and LSCM topics, there has been no research specifically looking into the impact of I4.0 on LSCM. The originality of this study lies in the treatment of the main fields and sub-fields of LSCM, which can benefit from the technologies of I4.0. Academic scholars interested in the research topics may benefit from the findings of this study. Organizations in various industrial sectors, particularly manufacturing, where lean thinking is used, business professionals specialized in lean operations and supply chain management, along with anyone else who wants to learn more about the interrelationships between I4.0 and LSCM.

The present study attempted to identify, measure and prioritize key green human resource management (GHRM) practices to achieve the lean-agile mindset in the steel industry.

Following an in-depth review of the literature, this study identifies GHRM practices. Then, the effect of green HRM practices on the lean-agile mindset was evaluated using structural equation modeling (SEM). In the next step, using the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP), prioritization of practices that have significant effects on lean-agile mindset were discussed.

The present study introduced eight GHRM practices. The results of SEM showed a significant and positive effect of all GHRM practices on lean-agile mindset. Prioritization of GHRM practices by the FAHP was defined as green reward management, green education and development, green performance evaluation, green discipline management, green employment, green safety and health management, green selection and green career design.

The present study suffers from some limitations. First, the research was conducted at a temporal section. Second, this research has been conducted in a particular industry.

The present study encourages human resource managers to increase their efforts to achieve green employees and put employee greenery in their strategic goals.

Successful implementation of GHRM programs has positive consequences at the individual, organizational and community levels. Implementation of the identified actions increases employee vitality at the individual level. At the organizational level, the work environment of environmentally friendly organizations is also more attractive to job seekers. Finally, at the social and extra-organizational level, a green lifestyle is spread in the community, which will lead to a healthy and green environment.

Emphasizing environmental principles on the one hand and creating the lean-agile mindset on the other are effective factors on maintaining the competitive advantage of industries. In this regard, the present study presented two innovations in HRM literature: (1) assessing the effect of GHRM practices on lean-agile mindset and (2) prioritizing GHRM practices based on the lean-agile mindset.

The purpose of this paper is to propose a new assessment tool for Leagility.

This research was carried out to systematically propose the operational activities of Leagile supply chains (SCs) with regard to SC drivers. Particularly, SC logistic (facility, transportation and inventory) and cross-functional drivers (information, sourcing and pricing) were selected to classify all operational activities of Leagile SCs.

This study proposed a new framework to evaluate the operational activities of Leagile SCs. Operational activities of Leagile supply chain strategy were determined and categorized with regard to SC drivers. These activities were ranked using an analytic hierarchy process and were then categorized using a cycle view of SC.

This study contributed in proposing operational activities of Leagile SC based on its major drivers. The result of this study assist managers, scholars and practitioners to construct new Leagile SCs or assess their Leagility level.

The aim of this paper is to review metrics and develop a framework for measuring leagile supply chain. Metrics that are applicable in the lean, agile and leagile strategies are identified in the literature and are then combined into a framework that can reflect both agile and lean strategies – the leagile supply strategy.

This work is based on the systematic literature review. Literature was collected, then lean and agile metrics were extracted, analysed, counted and grouped into the framework. Findings are compared against literature on leagile supply chain.

Findings indicate that there are sets of metrics specific to lean strategy, such as are process-focused, cost, productivity, inventory and delivery-based metrics, and specific to agile such as flexibility, responsiveness, information sharing and cooperation. There are also metrics common for both strategies; they are related to time, quality and customer satisfaction. Lean measures are tangible and focused on internal processes and products, while agile measures are targeted at external environment.

The framework could be used by practitioners as a starting point for performance system design.

There is a need to stop looking at lean and agile as separate and distinct supply strategies. Results of this research indicate that lean and agile are interlinked, both are focusing on customer satisfaction and quality. Applying a proposed set of metrics enables to design supply chain measurement system that reflects both strategies to measure leagile supply chain. The framework could be used by practitioners as a starting point for performance system design.

This paper aims to propose a new approach for determining a decoupling point in leagile chain, based on Lean and agile criteria regarding market and customer demands and internal capabilities of the chain with the ultimate goal of fulfilling customer needs and increasing chain profit.

In the new approach, Lean and agile criteria have been defined for assessing the effectiveness and efficiency of supply chain. The efficiency and effectiveness ratios have been calculated for Lean and agile processes using input- and output-oriented Banker, Charnes and Cooper (BCC) methods, respectively. Based on the results, inefficient and ineffective units have been addressed and the decoupling point has been determined.

Findings indicate that the decoupling point can be regarded as a borderline between two strategies of Lean and agile production, and fuzzy decoupling point and lean–agile distance can provide the basis for distinguishing the two strategies.

Determining the decoupling point has an important role in dynamic performance of a supply chain. By the proposed approach, managers can estimate the most probable area for the decoupling point. Moreover, by appropriate determination of decoupling point, an organization can increase its public responsibility by appropriate usage of its resources and responding faster to customers’ requirements.

In this study, in addition to determining a decoupling point in a supply chain with the aim of increasing productivity, the subject of leagile strategy of supply chains has been developed.

In today’s ever-changing global business environment, successful survival of manufacturing firms/production units depends on the extent of fulfillment of dynamic customers’ demands. Appropriate supply chain strategy is of vital concern in this context. Lean principles correspond to zero inventory level; whereas, agile concepts motivate safety inventory to face and withstand in turbulent market conditions. The leagile paradigm is gaining prime importance in the contemporary scenario which includes salient features of both leanness and agility. While lean strategy affords markets with predictable demand, low variety and long product life cycle; agility performs best in a volatile environment with high variety, mass-customization and short product life cycle. Successful implementation of leagile concept requires evaluation of the total performance metric and development of a route map for integrating lean production and agile supply in the total supply chain. To this end, the purpose of this paper is to propose a leagility evaluation framework using fuzzy logic.

A structured framework consisting of leagile capabilities/attributes as well as criterions has been explored to assess an overall leagility index, for a case enterprise and the data, obtained thereof, has been analyzed. Future opportunities toward improving leagility degree have been identified as well. This paper proposes a Fuzzy Overall Performance Index to assess the combined agility and leanness measure (leagility) of the organizational supply chain.

The proposed method has been found fruitful from managerial implication viewpoint.

This paper aimed to present an integrated fuzzy-based performance appraisement module in an organizational leagile supply chain. This evaluation module helps to assess existing organizational leagility degree; it can be considered as a ready reference to compare performance of different leagile organization (running under similar supply chain architecture) and to benchmark candidate leagile enterprises; so that best practices can be transmitted to the less-performing organizations. Moreover, there is scope to identify ill-performing areas (barriers of leagility) which require special managerial attention for future improvement.

This paper aims to explore if actions used at a hospital to manage a variable acute patient flow can be categorised using the concepts of lean, agile and leagile.

Empirical evidence from a university hospital was gathered by interviews, internal documents, shadowing and participation in meetings. Identified actions used at both hospital level and departmental level are categorised as lean or agile, while combinations of actions are compared with different leagile approaches.

Actions from every lean and agile category derived from literature are used at the hospital, however in varying extent. Many agile actions are reactive, indicating a lack of proactive measures. Actions that directly manage external variation are also few in numbers. Leagile approaches of all three combinations derived from literature are also used at the hospital.

As a single-case study is used, empirical generalisation to other hospitals cannot be deduced. Future research assessing the appropriateness of different actions for managing a variable acute patient flow is encouraged.

The use of actions within both lean and agile categories indicate the possibility of combining these process strategies in hospitals, and not only focusing on implementing lean. By cleverly combining lean and agile actions, leagile approaches can be formed.

The use of lean in health care has been a topic of research, while the use of agile has been sparsely researched, as well as the combination of the two.

The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the existing knowledge system of lean supply chain management (LSCM), i.e. by using main path analysis, and the authors extract the main development track of LSCM. It is advantageous for relevant scholars to deepen their understanding of this academic field from a bibliometrics view to grasp the future directions better.

Structuring a citation network with the processed data set containing 866 papers and relevant information collected from Web of Science (WoS). Conducting review analyses aiming at the main paths that are extracted from the above citation network.

There are two different evolution paths in LSCM field, i.e. improving corporate sustainability performance through combining lean and green practices, and seeking the balance between lean and agility to structure leagile supply chain for specific industries. LSCM research studies mainly focus on five aspects: (1) establishment and development of LSCM theory; (2) structuration of lean supply chain; (3) research studies of the relationship between LSCM and corporate performance; (4) supply chain evaluation system; and (5) review and vista of LSCM field. The intersection of two knowledge evolute routes would be Industry 4.0, which is an integrated theory system combining lean, agility, green and other supply chain thinking.

The data set collected from WoS cannot contain all the research studies about LSCM is the main research limitation. Sustainability, as represented by environmental performance, will continue to be a major pursuit of this field. Integrating LSCM in Industry 4.0 will be the next hotspot in LSCM field.

Providing the main research contents and common methods of LSCM field. It is conducive to deepening the understanding of relevant practitioners and scholars to LSCM field from a dynamic perspective.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, it is the first time to reveal the knowledge diffuse trajectories of LSCM under different view with main path analysis. This study is unique that it provides a new view to understand the field of LSCM.

With the emergence of the concepts of lean, agile and leagile paradigms for supply chains, organizations have little idea as to which model suits them based on the their supply chain's ability to counter risks and take on the challenges of the fast changing customer preferences. This paper aims to map supply chains on these two dimensions.

A model is proposed by which suitable supply chain strategy can be selected based on customer sensitivity and risk alleviation competency dimension. Graph theoretic approach is applied to quantify these dimensions for three case supply chains.

The proposed model was tested for three Indian SMEs clusters and suitable supply chain strategy was suggested.

It is recommended that the model be tested for those supply chains which have established themselves as lean, agile or leagile entities.

Suggested model would help organizations to select suitable supply chain strategy based on customer sensitivity and risk alleviation competency and the transition required in tune with the market requirements in which they operate. Also the areas which need improvements from the perspective of risk alleviation competency or customer sensitivity can be easily delineated.

Mapping supply chains based on quantification of customer sensitivity and risk alleviation competency dimension is a novel effort in the area of supply chain management.