Supply Chain Information Sharing: Modeling the Barriers

Introduction

Operational strategies of organizations have been shifted towards integrated SC strategies rather than independent operations with both suppliers and customers (Silveira & Arkader, 2007). Supply Chain Management (SCM) is a key strategic approach for increasing organizational effectiveness and the realization of organizational goals. SCM helps in achieving the co-ordination between organizations as well as with customers (Dath, Rajendran, & Narashiman, 2010). The information sharing (IS) enabled supply chain (SC) needs closer relationships among its partners. It requires a level of trust, commitment, co-operation, co-ordination and collaboration between SC members for its success (Richey, Che, Upreti, Fawcett, Adams, 2009). There are many factors which hinders in achieving SC benefits to the organizations. These factors are known as Information sharing Barriers (ISBs).

Many researchers (see Table 1) have discussed the various ISBs which hinder organizations to implement IS. Pujara, Kant, & Singh (2011) discussed the mutual effect of eleven ISBs over each other. They developed relationships among eleven identified ISBs. In this paper, eighteen ISBs (see Table 1) have been chosen on the basis of literature review and the opinions of experts from both industry and academia for development of structural model.

ISM is a well-established methodology for identifying relationships using group learning process among specific items which define a problem or an issue (Warfield, 1974; Sage, 1977). Therefore, in this research, ISBs have been analyzed using the ISM approach.

The main objectives of this paper are to identify and rank the ISBs, to establish relationships among the identified ISBs using ISM, and to discuss the organizational implications of this research and suggest directions for future research.