Overcoming Barriers to Supply Chain Integration: Prioritization of Solutions via a Multicriteria Decision Support Method

Abstract

Supply Chain Integration (SCI) has an important role in influencing supply chain overall performance. Although scholars and practitioners have identified barriers and enablers to SCI, previous studies did not delve into the partners’ different perspectives regarding integration needs, or into specific solutions to overcome the barriers. This study aims to prioritize and rank supply chain integration barriers, to propose specific and practical solutions for integration, and to assess the power of each solution in mitigating the critical barriers. The perspective of experts from the focal company and from suppliers was analyzed separately. The Delphi method was employed to generate and select solutions for SCI, and the Hesitant Fuzzy Linguistic Terms Set (HFLTS) representation was utilized to deal with uncertainty and imprecision in the experts’ judgment. HFLTS was applied to the ranking of critical barriers and to the assessment of the solutions’ power. The results showed that there are two types of solutions for integration, referred to as ‘‘specific critical solutions’’ and ‘‘broadband solutions’’, and revealed differences in the focal company’s and in the suppliers’ perspectives regarding the priority of these solutions. The study is unique, considering the simultaneous analysis of these two perspectives, the presentation of specific solutions to achieve integration, and the provision of clear guidelines for professionals regarding implementation priorities.