A research agenda on the “future of work” at the SCM-HRM/OB interface
| Gaps | Why it matters | Illustrative research questions | Potential empirical designs | Relevant theoretical lenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hybrid/RTO as a SC coordination intervention | Because “where work happens” directly shapes the speed and quality of SC decisions under uncertainty (especially exception handling) and therefore becomes a core determinant of reliability and resilience | Under what conditions does co-location improve decision quality and exception-resolution speed and when does it not? Which mechanisms (tacit knowledge, escalation, sensemaking) explain effects? | Comparative multiple case studies across sites with different RTO regimes; interviews with planners/ops/managers; observations of S&OP/control-tower routines; survey of coordination quality linked to operational KPIs (e.g. SEM/PLS) | Organizational information processing; relational coordination; resilience under extreme conditions |
| Managing hybrid SC teams: routines, accountability and collaboration risks | Because hybrid work increases coordination overhead and changes accountability structures, which can silently erode execution discipline and service performance | Which routines (cadences, meeting architecture, digital visual management) sustain collaboration and mitigate social loafing? How do hybrid settings alter accountability and mutual monitoring? | Interview-based studies of team practices; embedded case studies of hybrid teams in planning/logistics; mixed methods (survey on teamwork + interviews + performance indicators); field experiments on routines (e.g. changing cadence/rituals and tracking outcomes) | Team effectiveness; practice-based view; socio-technical systems |
| Knowledge management, learning and performance in distributed SCM work | Because distributed work can undermine tacit knowledge transfer and learning loops that are essential to prevent small disruptions from propagating across the chain | What knowledge types (tacit vs codified) are lost or strengthened under hybrid work? How do KM practices (documentation, communities, playbooks) affect resilience and performance? | Qualitative studies (interviews + document analysis) of KM devices; mixed methods linking KM survey measures to SC performance (SEM/PLS); longitudinal case studies capturing learning across disruptions; observations of exception-handling/knowledge-sharing episodes | Knowledge-based view; organizational learning; dynamic capabilities |
| Workforce segmentation (“two-tier flexibility”), fairness and operational reliability | Because unequal access to flexibility inside SCs can destabilize critical nodes via turnover, disengagement and degraded safety/quality behaviors, ultimately threatening end-to-end reliability | How do perceived fairness and flexibility asymmetries affect discretionary effort, safety compliance and retention in SC nodes? How do these human outcomes translate into reliability metrics? | Multi-site case studies (DC/transport vs planning/procurement); surveys on justice and commitment linked to HR outcomes (turnover intention) and operational indicators; interviews with frontline and managers; fsQCA to identify configurations of practices leading to high reliability | Organizational justice; stakeholder/social sustainability; institutional pressures and adoption timing |
| Last-mile and urban freight in work-from-anywhere economies | Because work-from-anywhere consumption patterns reshape last-mile demand and labor models, intensifying the operational and sustainability tensions of urban logistics | How does remote work reshape delivery patterns (density, failure rates, time windows) and required workforce flexibility? Which organizational models can reconcile service quality with sustainable practices? | Case studies of couriers/3PLs/e-commerce; interviews with operations and workforce managers; mixed methods combining operational delivery data descriptions with qualitative insights; Delphi studies to forecast emerging last-mile work models | City logistics; socio-technical systems; stakeholder theory |
| Technology design for hybrid SCM work (beyond “digital transformation”) | Because digital platforms (control towers, collaboration tools, exception systems) reshape autonomy, accountability and attention—thus influencing decision quality and resilience rather than merely “enabling” remote work | Which tool features improve exception triage and cross-functional coordination without overload? How does technology mediate accountability and collaboration in hybrid SCM? | Implementation case studies of control towers/exception systems; interviews with users + IT; observations of tool use in decision episodes; mixed methods (perceived usability + performance outcomes); design-oriented field studies (iterative evaluation) | Socio-technical systems; technology appropriation; information processing; resilience capabilities |
| Resilience and social sustainability: avoiding “risk displacement” across tiers | Because resilience strategies can shift risk and pressure to suppliers and workers, undermining long-term SC viability and sustainability performance | How do resilience strategies redistribute vulnerability across tiers and employment statuses? What role do safety and health practices (and their timing) play in resilience and social performance? | Multi-tier qualitative studies (buyers + suppliers + subcontractors); interviews and document analysis of compliance/Health and Safety; comparative case studies across sectors; fsQCA to identify configurations of governance and practices associated with resilient and socially sustainable outcomes | Stakeholder theory; institutional theory; relational governance |
| Inter-organizational hybrid work (buyer-supplier-3PL): governance and collaboration | Because distributed collaboration changes trust-building, auditing, negotiation and information sharing; core mechanisms through which SCs coordinate and adapt | How does hybrid collaboration affect trust, opportunism and joint problem solving? Which SCM-HRM integration practices enhance network performance? | Dyadic/network case studies (buyer-supplier-3PL); interviews with boundary spanners; survey studies of relational governance and collaboration quality; mixed methods triangulating relational measures with performance perceptions/outcomes | Relational view; governance perspectives |
| Gaps | Why it matters | Illustrative research questions | Potential empirical designs | Relevant theoretical lenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hybrid/RTO as a SC coordination intervention | Because “where work happens” directly shapes the speed and quality of SC decisions under uncertainty (especially exception handling) and therefore becomes a core determinant of reliability and resilience | Under what conditions does co-location improve decision quality and exception-resolution speed and when does it not? Which mechanisms (tacit knowledge, escalation, sensemaking) explain effects? | Comparative multiple case studies across sites with different RTO regimes; interviews with planners/ops/managers; observations of S&OP/control-tower routines; survey of coordination quality linked to operational KPIs (e.g. SEM/PLS) | Organizational information processing; relational coordination; resilience under extreme conditions |
| Managing hybrid SC teams: routines, accountability and collaboration risks | Because hybrid work increases coordination overhead and changes accountability structures, which can silently erode execution discipline and service performance | Which routines (cadences, meeting architecture, digital visual management) sustain collaboration and mitigate social loafing? How do hybrid settings alter accountability and mutual monitoring? | Interview-based studies of team practices; embedded case studies of hybrid teams in planning/logistics; mixed methods (survey on teamwork + interviews + performance indicators); field experiments on routines (e.g. changing cadence/rituals and tracking outcomes) | Team effectiveness; practice-based view; socio-technical systems |
| Knowledge management, learning and performance in distributed SCM work | Because distributed work can undermine tacit knowledge transfer and learning loops that are essential to prevent small disruptions from propagating across the chain | What knowledge types (tacit vs codified) are lost or strengthened under hybrid work? How do KM practices (documentation, communities, playbooks) affect resilience and performance? | Qualitative studies (interviews + document analysis) of KM devices; mixed methods linking KM survey measures to SC performance (SEM/PLS); longitudinal case studies capturing learning across disruptions; observations of exception-handling/knowledge-sharing episodes | Knowledge-based view; organizational learning; dynamic capabilities |
| Workforce segmentation (“two-tier flexibility”), fairness and operational reliability | Because unequal access to flexibility inside SCs can destabilize critical nodes via turnover, disengagement and degraded safety/quality behaviors, ultimately threatening end-to-end reliability | How do perceived fairness and flexibility asymmetries affect discretionary effort, safety compliance and retention in SC nodes? How do these human outcomes translate into reliability metrics? | Multi-site case studies (DC/transport vs planning/procurement); surveys on justice and commitment linked to HR outcomes (turnover intention) and operational indicators; interviews with frontline and managers; fsQCA to identify configurations of practices leading to high reliability | Organizational justice; stakeholder/social sustainability; institutional pressures and adoption timing |
| Last-mile and urban freight in work-from-anywhere economies | Because work-from-anywhere consumption patterns reshape last-mile demand and labor models, intensifying the operational and sustainability tensions of urban logistics | How does remote work reshape delivery patterns (density, failure rates, time windows) and required workforce flexibility? Which organizational models can reconcile service quality with sustainable practices? | Case studies of couriers/3PLs/e-commerce; interviews with operations and workforce managers; mixed methods combining operational delivery data descriptions with qualitative insights; Delphi studies to forecast emerging last-mile work models | City logistics; socio-technical systems; stakeholder theory |
| Technology design for hybrid SCM work (beyond “digital transformation”) | Because digital platforms (control towers, collaboration tools, exception systems) reshape autonomy, accountability and attention—thus influencing decision quality and resilience rather than merely “enabling” remote work | Which tool features improve exception triage and cross-functional coordination without overload? How does technology mediate accountability and collaboration in hybrid SCM? | Implementation case studies of control towers/exception systems; interviews with users + IT; observations of tool use in decision episodes; mixed methods (perceived usability + performance outcomes); design-oriented field studies (iterative evaluation) | Socio-technical systems; technology appropriation; information processing; resilience capabilities |
| Resilience and social sustainability: avoiding “risk displacement” across tiers | Because resilience strategies can shift risk and pressure to suppliers and workers, undermining long-term SC viability and sustainability performance | How do resilience strategies redistribute vulnerability across tiers and employment statuses? What role do safety and health practices (and their timing) play in resilience and social performance? | Multi-tier qualitative studies (buyers + suppliers + subcontractors); interviews and document analysis of compliance/Health and Safety; comparative case studies across sectors; fsQCA to identify configurations of governance and practices associated with resilient and socially sustainable outcomes | Stakeholder theory; institutional theory; relational governance |
| Inter-organizational hybrid work (buyer-supplier-3PL): governance and collaboration | Because distributed collaboration changes trust-building, auditing, negotiation and information sharing; core mechanisms through which SCs coordinate and adapt | How does hybrid collaboration affect trust, opportunism and joint problem solving? Which SCM-HRM integration practices enhance network performance? | Dyadic/network case studies (buyer-supplier-3PL); interviews with boundary spanners; survey studies of relational governance and collaboration quality; mixed methods triangulating relational measures with performance perceptions/outcomes | Relational view; governance perspectives |
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