Leveraging relational capital with ambidexterity in building supply chain resilience

Grounding in the nexus of the relational capital theory and dynamic ambidexterity view, this study examines the effect of supplier collaboration on supply chain capabilities including flexibility and risk management using a sample of 195 manufacturers in China. It also assesses the antecedent role of the supply chain capabilities in building supply chain resilience and its resulting competitive advantage. This study employs path analyses using data collected from manufacturers. The findings of this study indicate the significant role of relational capital gained from supplier collaboration in building supply chain capabilities of flexibility and risk management capabilities, which are shown to lead to supply chain resilience. Competitive advantage also results from enhanced supply chain resilience. This study provides an integrated view of relational capital and ambidexterity for vulnerability mitigation and capabilities improvement, which offers implications to supply chain practitioners that maintaining a dynamic ambidexterity is critical to bolster supply chain resilience in the time of unexpected disruptive incidents.