Managing knowledge in supply chains: a catalyst to triple bottom line sustainability

Abstract

Sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) and knowledge management’s (KM) positive role in improving supply chain development and performance have both attracted attention in recent years, the former arguably stimulated by the triple bottom line (TBL). Despite the positive development, there is a paucity of theoretical and empirical studies identifying the broad capabilities that affect a firm’s ability to simultaneously pursue economic, environmental and social success. We use the natural-resource-based (NRBV) and knowledge-based (KBV) views to develop a series of propositions linking KM capability to strategic and operational supply chain sustainability and competiveness and test their veracity with practicing managers (n = 275). We offer a systematic analysis of KM’s role in the development of SSCM. The findings confirm the credibility of the theoretical propositions and identify how different KM processes specifically facilitate strategic or operational development of SSCs. We provide researchers with a framework to guide future research at the KM/TBL nexus.

Keywords:

• Knowledge management
• sustainable supply chain management
• operational improvement
• natural-resource-based view
• triple bottom line

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the field experts for their valuable feedback on the questionnaire and the kind support from Mrs Catherine Weetman, Vice-Chairman of CILT Environment & Sustainability Forum and Dr Qiang Wu. The authors would also like to thank the editors and anonymous reviewers for their valuable suggestions and encouragement.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Qile He

Qile He is the Associate Head of School (Research) of the School of Strategy and Leadership at the Coventry Business School. He received his PhD from Middlesex University. He is a Fellow of the HEA, a Chartered Member of the CILT, and Co-Chair of the Inter-organizational Collaboration SIG of the British Academy of Management. He’s principal research interest is in knowledge transfer practices in the context of inter-firm alliances. He is also interested in the process/nature of organisational innovation and organisational learning, and sustainable SCM. He has published over 40 papers in refereed journals, books and international conference proceedings.

David Gallear

David Gallear is a Professor of Operations Management with the Operations and Information Systems Management Research Group (OISM) at Brunel Business School, and Vice Dean (Research) for the College of Business, Arts and Social Sciences, Brunel University London. His research expertise lies in operations, supply chain and quality management, with a particular focus on sustainability issues, relationships and corporate responsibility in supply chains and business (quality) excellence. He has published numerous high-impact peer-reviewed journal articles, research monographs and edited works, including in Production Planning and Control, the International Journal of Production Research, International Journal of Production Economics, and OMEGA.

Abby Ghobadian

Abby Ghobadian is a Professor of Management and the Former Head of Leadership, Organisations and Behaviour (LOB) at Henley Business School. His research interests lie in examining the reasons for heterogeneous organisational performance and how it can be improved. Ghobadian has published over 100 refereed articles in major journals, and numerous research monographs, edited books, chapters, and conference papers, and a major strategy text. Abby is the Co-Editor of the Journal of Strategy and Management, and serves on many journal editorial boards. He is past President of the British Academy of Management and member of the ESRC’s Peer Review College.

Ramakrishnan Ramanathan

Ramakrishnan Ramanathan is Professor of Operations Management and Director of the Business and Management Research Institute (BMRI) at the University of Bedfordshire. Ram works extensively on various facets of operations management including management of logistics and supply chains. He has interests in approaching operations management activities from an environmental sustainability point of view. He has worked in the field of e-commerce and also works extensively in modelling methodologies and quantitative analyses. He is a member of ESRC Peer Review College, and published a number of books and a substantial number of articles in high-impact journals among many other intellectual outputs.