Mitigating resisting forces to achieve the collaboration‐enabled supply chain

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to address how companies mitigate existing forces to achieve the collaboration enabled supply chain (SC).Design/methodology/approachSeven key theories were used to provide insight into the theoretical framework for the creation of the collaboration‐enabled SC: contingency theory, the resource‐based view of the firm, the relational view of the firm, force field theory, constituency‐based theory, social dilemma theory, and resource‐advantage theory. An exploratory cross‐sectional survey was conducted at two different points in time – a six‐year period in between. The survey targeted three different functional areas – logistics, manufacturing, and sourcing – to compare and contrast functional perceptions of barriers and bridges to collaboration.FindingsCompanies are beginning to pursue greater collaboration, however, managers are often stymied in their pursuit of collaborative business models. The data suggest that the challenge is not the existence of a single barrier to collaboration, but one of accumulation. As the many resistors reinforce each other, the change needed to increase collaboration is avoided. To overcome these challenges, the findings suggest that a comprehensive and carefully executed collaboration strategy is needed to help a company profitably deliver high levels of customer satisfaction. Those companies that succeed achieve substantial, documentable benefits.Practical implicationsThe findings reveal that developing a collaboration‐enabled business model is very difficult. Therefore, managers must carefully evaluate their companies' motivation and readiness to pursue a collaboration‐enabled SC, consider whether they can generate momentum for sustained change, and ascertain whether they can persist when benefits are slow to emerge.Originality/valueThis study is both longitudinal and cross‐functional and leads to a better understanding of how to manage, change, and create a collaborative decision‐making environment.