Purpose: The importance of innovation as a generator of competitive advantage and the collaborative nature of this process are recurring themes in the literature. This paper aims to contribute to the improvement of knowledge about the relationship between supply chains and the innovation process by means of a systematic literature review. Methodology/approach: The method used consists of the identification, selection, analysis and synthesis of existing research on the subject and aims to ensure that the review is transparent, auditable and replicable. This paper presents the analysis of 94 papers from 37 journals and the major contributions are explored. Findings: The identification and analysis of relevant articles showed the complexity, timeliness and the wide-ranging character of the theme. The analysis of articles allowed the identification of facilitators of the innovation process, as well as five approaches applicable to supply chains to drive the innovation process. From these analyses, a model synthesising the main practices identified for improving innovation performance is presented. Research limitations/implications: When carrying out literature reviews, the selection of articles might be considered subjective. To circumvent this limitation, the papers have been assessed by three researchers. Practical implications: The results presented can be applied in the decision-making process by managers in the areas of innovation and supply chain. Originality/value: This paper synthesises knowledge involving the relationships between supply chains and the innovation process. The analysis is based on quantitative and qualitative criteria.

Purpose: This paper aims to investigate supply chain (SC) strategies, analyzing the adoption of lean, agile, leagile and traditional SC strategies with respect to product characteristics, environmental uncertainty, business performance and innovation performance.Design/methodology/approach: The paper presents an empirical analysis carried out on a sample of 329 companies. Cluster analysis was applied, based on lean and agile SC characteristics, to identify patterns among different SC strategies. One-way analysis of variance of different constructs by types of SC clusters was conducted to test the research hypotheses.Findings: Cluster analysis indicates that the companies studied adopt four types of SC strategies – lean, agile, leagile and traditional. The differences between the clusters are identified and discussed, highlighting that companies adopting a leagile SC strategy present the highest performance, while those that adopt a traditional SC present the lowest; companies adopting an agile SC compete in the most complex and dynamic environments, while companies with a lean SC present a clear predominance of functional rather than innovative products.Research limitations/implications: This paper provides empirical evidence of the antecedents and consequences of the adoption of different SC strategies. As a limitation, the results are based on a survey research with a limited sample size.Originality/value: Based on the analysis of the relationship between constructs that have not been addressed previously, the paper adds to the knowledge regarding the role of SC strategies, as well as the antecedents and consequences of their adoption. The results may support managers in the difficult task of choosing the “right” SC strategy.

Recent studies have highlighted the potential of supply chain visibility (SCV) to improve companies’ performance, support the decision-making process and increase the resilience and sustainability of supply chains (SC). However, the definition and the approaches to manage visibility are not consensual, especially when it comes to its assessment. This paper studies the influence that some characteristics of the information shared among SC partners have on SCV and provides a model that allows to assess the level of visibility. Focus group research was used to discuss the visibility assessment model with academic and practical experts and case studies were conducted to evaluate the implementation of the model in real contexts. The results support the applicability of the model in complex SCs and show that the visibility indices proposed can help managers to identify the SC partners where improvement actions are needed. This study contributes to literature and practice by means of a model to assess the visibility throughout the SC by considering different types and characteristics of the information shared.

Purpose: This paper investigates the effect of the fit between supply and demand uncertainty (SDU) and supply chain responsiveness (SCR) (SC fit) on business and innovation performance in Brazilian companies.Design/methodology/approach: The study presented an analysis carried out on an empirical study based on a sample of 150 manufacturing companies. Business and innovation performance of companies with different types of SC fit ( high–high and low–low fits) and misfit (positive and negative) are compared and discussed.Findings: The results indicated that SC fit had a positive effect on both business and innovation performance. Further analyses suggested that companies with SC fit present similar business performance, independent of the level of SDU that characterizes the environment where they compete, while companies in environments with higher levels of uncertainty tend to present superior innovation performance. Companies with positive and negative misfit present similar performance.Originality/value: An analysis of the literature showed that there is no consensus when it comes to the definitions and measurements of SC fit. The paper investigates the effects of SC fit on business and innovation performance, while previous empirical studies have mainly addressed its impact on financial performance. Moreover, this study compares the effects of two types of fit and two types of misfit and assesses SC fit in Brazilian manufacturing companies, analyzing the context of an under-researched reality.