Achieving integration. A dual pathway model of supply chain orientation and organizational identification
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/IJLM-08-2017-0213 |
Pages | 1306-1324 |
Date | 11 June 2018 |
Published date | 11 June 2018 |
Author | Jessica L. Robinson,Karl Manrodt,Monique Lynn Murfield,Christopher A. Boone,Paige Rutner |
Subject Matter | Logistics,Management science & operations |
Achieving integration
A dual pathway model of supply chain
orientation and organizational identification
Jessica L. Robinson
Department of Management and Human Resource Management,
College of Business Administration, California State University Long Beach,
Long Beach, California, USA
Karl Manrodt
Department of Management, Marketing and Logistics, Georgia College,
Milledgeville, Georgia, USA
Monique Lynn Murfield
Department of Management, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, USA
Christopher A. Boone
Department of Information Systems and Supply Chain Management,
Neeley School of Business, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, Texas, USA, and
Paige Rutner
Department of Information Systems and Quantitative Sciences,
Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas, USA
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to propose and test a dual pathway model whereby addressing the
question, “What are the effects of supply chain orientation and organizational identification on internal
integration and supplier integration?”.
Design/methodology/approach –A survey design was performed to collect data from supply chain
professionals regarding their organization’s supply chain orientation (SCO), organizational identification (OI)
and achieved states of both internal and supplier integration. Partial least squares-structural equation
modeling was performed to test the dual mediating pathways.
Findings –The results show that internal integration partially mediates relationships between SCO and supplier
integration and for OI and supplier integration. In comparing the mediating effects to test competing theories, the
SCO path yields stronger complementary partial mediation. This supports the proposition that SCO and OI mutually
exist within an organization and influence achieved integrative behaviors. Additionally, results suggest the
behavioral spillover effect exists for an internally integrated organization that has also achieved supplier integration.
Originality/value –This research makes several contributions to extant literature, including finding that
SCO contributes to levels of achieved integration. Also, this research theoretically integrates literature on the
social dilemma associated with supplier integration and the behavioral spillover effect, suggesting that SCO
allows for positive internal integrative behaviors to spillover to integrated suppliers. Finally, this research
contributes to research on OI by finding achieved integration is an outcome, which refutes a dominate theory
that explains OI facilitates negative behaviors toward external organizations.
Keywords North America, Structural equation modelling, Management research, Supply chain integration,
Buyer-supplierrelationships
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
Organizations have been turning to supply chain integration in order to implement supply
chain management(SCM) as well as to improve performance(e.g. Adams et al., 2014; Frohlich
and Westbrook, 2001; Germain and Iyer, 2006; Mackelprang et al., 2014; Mentzer et al., 2001;
The International Journal of
Logistics Management
Vol. 29 No. 4, 2018
pp. 1306-1324
© Emerald PublishingLimited
0957-4093
DOI 10.1108/IJLM-08-2017-0213
Received 26 August 2017
Revised 3 February 2018
Accepted 27 March 2018
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/0957-4093.htm
This paper is derived from the first author’s dissertation. Thank you to Rodney Thomas for the early
developments of this research.
1306
IJLM
29,4
Rodrigues et al., 2004). Accordingly, considerable research has been dedicated to identifying
and evaluatingintegrative antecedents, practices, approaches and/orprocesses (e.g. Das et al.,
2006; Ellinger, 2000; Mollenkopf et al., 2000; Pagell, 2004; Petersen et al., 2008; Stevens, 1989;
Stolze et al., 2015; Swink et al., 2007; Zhao et al., 2011). Despite e arly development s of the
integration concept acknowledging that it could refer to an organizational state (Lawrence
and Lorsch, 1969), only recently has this conceptualization become a construct of interest in
the SCM literature (e.g. Chavez et al.,2015; Turkulainen and Ketokivi, 2012; Turkulainen and
Swink, 2017). Researchers have cited that this “achieved state of integration”allows for
measuring levels of actual integration rather than intended integration (Swink and
Schoenherr, 2015). Given that this emerging body of literature has predominately focused on
performance outcomes, the current research proposes and examines dual mediating
orientations that may affect the degree to which integration is achieved.
The reasoning for examining dual mediating orientations is based on an underlying
theme in the SCM literature that pertains to organizations’orientation and the notion of
whether foci and motives are outward or inward facing. Specifically, grounded by the
seminal work of Mentzer et al. (2001), SCM literature maintains that an inter-firm perspective
facilitates behaviors that serve collective interests and improve inter-firm relationships
while a firm-centric perspective prompts self-interested behaviors that deter inter-firm
relationships (e.g. Corsten et al., 2011; Eng, 2005; Kull et al., 2013; McCarter and Northcraft,
2007; Omar, Davis-Sramek, Fugate and Mentzer, 2012; Omar, Davis-Sramek, Myers and
Mentzer, 2012). This study tests this premise, which has been conceptual to date. The two
mediating orientation constructs are described next.
Supply chain orientation (SCO) has been deemed a necessary organizational
philosophy for achieving internal and external integration (i.e. customer and/or
supplier) (Esper et al., 2010; Thornton et al., 2016). Specifically, SCO refers to the “[…]
implementation of SCM philosophy in individual firms in a supply chain”(Min and
Mentzer, 2004, p. 67), whereby a SCM philosophy entails a “systems approach to viewing
the supply chain as a single entity, rather than as a set of fragmented parts, each
performing its own function”(Mentzer et al., 2001, p . 7). The central rol e of SCO is to
embed an organizational-wide awareness and acceptance of SCM that focuses on holistic
supply chain inte grative behaviors (i.e. rather tha n focusing on either internal integ ration
or external integ ration) (Esper et al., 2010; Mentzer et al., 2001). While limited empirical
research exists surrounding SCO as an antecedent of integration (Thornton et al., 2016),
the current study addresses whether SCO persists in contributing to integrative levels.
Thus, this study contributes to the SCM literature by being the first to empirically test the
relationship between SCO and the degree to which internal and supplier integration are
achieved by an organization (i.e. degree of achieved integration from focal firm’s
perspective—imposing parallel measuring and reporting).
Organizationalidentification (OI) is “the perception of oneness with or belongingness to an
organization”(Maeland Ashforth, 1992, p. 109). The OI conceptoriginated from identification
(Freud, 1922) and groupidentification (Tolman, 1943).As such, identification depictsa state of
psychologicalattachment toward anidentified foci (e.g. individualsor inanimate objects)while
group identification captures social behavioral dimensions of identification (Corsten et al.,
2006). Social identity theory (SIT) (Tajfel, 1974; Tajfel and Turner, 1979) has traditionally
explained thesocial behavioral outcomes of anOI state (Pratt, 2001). A key premise is thatthe
nature of socialbehaviors is largely influencedby assigned group memberships,where people
inherently classify themselves and others as either in-group or out-group members (i.e. us vs
them) (Pratt, 2001; Turner, 1985). The limited extant SIT/SCM research has advocated for
higher order social group identification so to benefit from in-group behaviors (e.g. focal
organization classifies itself as an in-group member of external foci, such as customer or
supply chain) (Corsten et al., 2011; Min et al., 2009). This study contributes to the SCM
1307
Dual pathway
model of SCO
and OI
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