Extending Dynamic Capabilities towards Lean Thinking in Humanitarian Supply Chains

Humanitarian supply chain (HSC) research is still in its infancy and remains an enigma, due to its profound differences with the much-researched field of global supply chains. Thus, humanitarian operations (HO) remain obstinately difficult to manage, despite attempts by key stakeholders to keep abreast of all the contemporary challenges. A key concern is wastage of disaster relief materials along the supply chain, which strains already scarce resources. Moreover, humanitarian research is plagued by a dearth of theory development and redeployment of existing theories from other fields, which are critical in enhancing methodological rigour. To address these gaps, we undertake an in-depth qualitative study which draws on data from humanitarian organisations that responded to the major earthquake in Nepal (2015). Using a novel approach, we adapt the theory of constraints (TOC) and dynamic capabilities to conduct our investigation. First, we apply TOC at an analytical level to unearth the constraints perturbing HO. Second, using dynamic capabilities as an overarching theoretical lens, we draw insights which contribute towards effective HSC management. To conclude, our study contributes by extending the dynamic capabilities theory for Lean thinking in HO. We achieve this by proffering ‘sustaining’ as a key extension of dynamic capabilities in HSC.