Achieving a Superior Performance through Supply Chain Configuration

There is a growing body of research investigating how supply chain management practices could be a driver for better performance. Whilst in the empirical world there is a trend of shifting from creating supply chains then measuring their performance, to pre-customising the design of supply chains so as to be performance-driven, research remains lagging in putting forward frameworks addressing the relationship between supply chain configuration decisions and achieving a superior performance. To this end, this research examines how companies who achieved superior performance are configuring their supply chains. We collected empirical data from 20 manufacturing suppliers deemed "highest performers", by both their peers, as well as by their customers. This data-rich case study helped our in-depth analyses of different aspects of performance management, and in scrutinising supplier practices and supply chain configuration settings. Our research findings reveal the configuration decisions of high-performing companies, taking into account the role of their contextual environment; hence, extending our understanding on the interconnectedness between these decisions and their impact on performance improvement. We put forward an integrated framework proposing that supply chain configuration should be employed as an enabler, and antecedent, for superior performance and enhanced market competitiveness.