Supply chain collaboration (SCC) amongst independent firms often provides larger benefits from effectively satisfying end customer's needs than working alone. However, lack of awareness about the existence of barriers of collaboration hinders the realizing of the benefits of collaboration. The purpose of this paper is to identify the barriers of SCC in the Indian apparel retail industry and how these barriers are interacting with one an other so that the decision makers can focus on overcoming these barriers and realizing the benefits of SCC.
Using interpretive structural modeling the research presents a hierarchy‐based model and the mutual relationships among the barriers of SCC.
This research shows that there exists a group of barriers having a high‐driving power and low dependence requiring maximum attention and of strategic importance while another group consists of those variables which have high dependence and are the resultant actions.
This classification provides a useful tool for supply chain managers to differentiate between independent and dependent variables and their mutual relationships which would help them to focus on those key variables that are most important for SCC.
Presentation of barriers in a hierarchy and the classification into driver and dependent categories is a unique effort in the area of SCC.
