Abstract:
The imperative for firms to embrace sustainable supply chain management (SSCM)
practices has become increasingly urgent. Previous studies have indicated that firms adopt
SSCM practices differently, some more proactive than others. However, the factors
influencing such disparities in SSCM practices adoption remain less understood. Moreover,
recent literature has suggested that SSCM practices adoption can yield unintended
outcomes, beyond the expected and widely examined outcomes. This research adopts
diffusion of innovation and institutional theory as theoretical lenses to explore why firms
adopt SSCM practices differently. Specifically, it investigates internal and external factors
that drive the more or less proactive SSCM practices adoption while incorporating social
capital theory to examine the conditions that inhibit or enable such adoption. The study also
investigates the outcomes of more or less proactive SSCM practices adoption. Through a
qualitative research design, the study conducts multiple case studies on organisation’s
supply chains in South Africa. Semi-structured interviews with multiple participants in
organisations illuminate a nuanced understanding of SSCM practices adoption. The findings
uncover a spectrum of SSCM practices adoption patterns, ranging from more to less
proactive, shaped by a complex interplay of internal and external factors. In addition, the
study elucidates the enabling (organisational commitment, social capital and collaborative
networks and relationships) and inhibiting conditions (external and contextual challenges,
organisational factors and lack of strategic alignment and culture and mindset) that influence
the extent of more proactive SSCM practices adoption. Furthermore, the research
underscores that varying levels of proactive SSCM practices adoption may be associated
with different intended and unintended outcomes. The study establishes the link between
the adoption of SSCM practices and innovativeness of firms (sustainability-innovation). This
study contributes to the field by proposing a comprehensive framework elucidating SSCM
practices adoption dynamic and presents several propositions for further exploration.
