Behavioral factors on the adoption of sustainable supply chain practices

Abstract

Sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) has become a popular research topic among scholars as evidence suggests it has significantly contributed to achieve more environmentally conscious and socially responsible supply chains. Operational excellence (OE) on the other hand can be achieved by incorporating SSCM practices within existing supply chain operations. However due to human expertise involvement and commitment towards excelling at sustainable and operational performance the effective deployment of SSCM practices now depends on various human-based behavioral factors (BFs). Human behavior is dynamic in nature and hence has an effect on the implementation of SSCM practices. Nevertheless research on BFs in view of SSCM practices is limited. To fill this knowledge gap this study examines the nature of BFs for SSCM practices towards OE in supply chains particularly within the context of the footwear industry of Bangladesh. In the first phase the BFs were identified and determined through a literature review and empirical investigation. In the second phase the Hesitant Fuzzy DEMATEL method was used to establish the cause-effect relationships among the factors. The influence of group validation by experts and a literature survey along with managerial implications was discussed and explained in the third phase of the study. The results suggest that the factor 'organization culture' is the most influencing behavioral factor followed by 'commitment from higher authority'. Both theoretical and practical contributions of the study are drawn from its findings helping footwear industry managers to more effectively adopt SSCM practices in the supply chain operations of their organizations to achieve OE.