Abstract

Supply chain resilience has gained traction but is often studied at the event level, providing a more or less static view. This study goes beyond static resource-based approaches widely adopted in the literature by providing insights into the orchestration mechanisms leading to the conversion of lower-order resources into higher-order resilience capabilities. In doing so, we investigate how resource orchestration processes i.e. resource bundling, structuring, and leveraging, result in flexibility, agility, redundancy, and collaboration.  An exploratory case study design involving six companies with multiple respondents, vulnerable to supply chain disruptions is used to examine the dynamics of resource orchestration processes. Data is collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews. We find that several overarching orchestrating concepts for resource structuring, bundling, and leveraging during a disruption's preparation and response phases. Resource orchestration concepts related to supplier relationship building, resource portfolio management, resource integration, reconfiguring, and redeployment are found to be important enablers of supply chain resilience. Hence, this study adds a new perspective to the supply chain resilience literature, while it helps managers to understand how to manage scarce resources to extract their full value to ensure a resilient supply chain.