Efficiency–Resilience Trade-offs in Supply Chains: A Paradox Perspective.
Faculty Mentor
Prof Jerry Burke
Location
Russell Union 2054
Type of Research
Proposed
Session Format
Oral Presentation
College
Parker College of Business
Department
Logistics & Supply Chain Management
Abstract
Global disruptions in the past decade have reignited a central debate in SCM about whether efficiency-oriented systems are inherently fragile, or if firms can simultaneously achieve high efficiency and high resilience. Despite extensive research on leanness, redundancy, agility, and supply chain risk, empirical findings remain deeply contradictory. Some studies argue that efficiency undermines resilience by removing buffers and increasing vulnerability, while others show that lean practices enhance visibility, agility, and recovery performance. To clarify the roots of these inconsistencies, this review synthesizes two decades of empirical and conceptual research and reframes the efficiency–resilience relationship as an organizational paradox rather than a traditional trade-off. A typology that explains how different configurations of slack, digital and dynamic capabilities, and structural design choices generate divergent effects. This study aims to advance theoretical clarity, reconcile mixed empirical findings, and provide a foundation for designing supply chains that are both economically efficient and structurally resilient.
Program Description
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Start Date
4-23-2026 11:15 AM
End Date
4-23-2026 11:30 AM
Recommended Citation
Koranteng, Justine, "Efficiency–Resilience Trade-offs in Supply Chains: A Paradox Perspective." (2026). GS4 Student Scholars Symposium. 119.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/research_symposium/2026/2026/119
Efficiency–Resilience Trade-offs in Supply Chains: A Paradox Perspective.
Russell Union 2054
Global disruptions in the past decade have reignited a central debate in SCM about whether efficiency-oriented systems are inherently fragile, or if firms can simultaneously achieve high efficiency and high resilience. Despite extensive research on leanness, redundancy, agility, and supply chain risk, empirical findings remain deeply contradictory. Some studies argue that efficiency undermines resilience by removing buffers and increasing vulnerability, while others show that lean practices enhance visibility, agility, and recovery performance. To clarify the roots of these inconsistencies, this review synthesizes two decades of empirical and conceptual research and reframes the efficiency–resilience relationship as an organizational paradox rather than a traditional trade-off. A typology that explains how different configurations of slack, digital and dynamic capabilities, and structural design choices generate divergent effects. This study aims to advance theoretical clarity, reconcile mixed empirical findings, and provide a foundation for designing supply chains that are both economically efficient and structurally resilient.
