The way people work has become a strategic issue for supply chains, extending well beyond digital tools and automation. A new editorial co-authored by Salomée Ruel, Professor in Supply Chain Management and Purchasing & Supply Management at EMLV, published in The International Journal of Logistics Management, examines how work organisation, human resource management and supply chain performance are increasingly interconnected.
As organisations continue to adapt to post-pandemic realities, questions surrounding hybrid work, workforce resilience and organisational design have become central to supply chain management. These topics are explored in the editorial “The Future of Work and Its Long-Standing Supply Chain Implications – Lessons from the Pandemic and Beyond”, recently published in The International Journal of Logistics Management.
Looking beyond digitalisation in supply chains
The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated that supply chain performance depends on much more than inventory levels, transportation networks or sourcing strategies. Workforce availability, safety practices, managerial coordination and new forms of work organisation proved equally critical to maintaining operational continuity.
Building on these observations, the editorial argues that discussions about the future of work should move beyond broad narratives centred solely on digital transformation or generic skills development. Instead, it encourages researchers to investigate how organisational practices, work arrangements and people management directly influence supply chain performance.
This perspective broadens the traditional boundaries of supply chain management by positioning work as a strategic dimension of supply chain design rather than simply an operational consideration.
A stronger connection between supply chain management and human resource management
One of the editorial’s main conclusions is that research connecting Supply Chain Management (SCM) with Human Resource Management (HRM) and Organisational Behaviour (OB) remains limited despite growing practical needs.
While companies increasingly face challenges related to hybrid work, employee engagement, talent shortages and organisational resilience, academic research often treats these questions separately from supply chain management.
The authors therefore propose a research agenda that places people, organisational practices and management capabilities at the centre of future supply chain research. Understanding how teams collaborate, share knowledge and adapt to uncertainty may become as important as analysing logistics networks or operational processes.
Lessons from the special issue
The editorial also introduces the contributions published in the journal’s special issue dedicated to the future of work.
Together, the selected papers examine several complementary themes, including:
- flexible work arrangements and knowledge sharing;
- collaboration within hybrid teams;
- resilience through an equity perspective;
- the evolution of supply chain professions after the pandemic.
These studies illustrate that work organisation has become a major factor influencing supply chain performance and organisational adaptability in uncertain environments.
Research supporting the transformation of management education
Research conducted by EMLV faculty contributes to understanding how organisations respond to technological, economic and societal transformations. Topics such as artificial intelligence, digitalisation, sustainability and changing work practices increasingly shape both managerial decision-making and business education.
Within the Master in Management, this perspective aligns with EMLV’s ambition to prepare future managers capable of combining analytical thinking with an understanding of technological change and human dynamics. The school’s interdisciplinary environment, shared with ESILV and IIM, encourages students to approach organisational challenges from multiple perspectives, combining management, technology and human factors.
By highlighting the growing importance of work organisation in supply chains, this editorial contributes to an evolving discussion on how businesses can design more resilient, sustainable and people-centred operations in an environment characterised by continuous change.
