Role of systems engineering attributes in enhancing supply chain resilience: Healthcare in context of COVID-19 pandemic

In recent years, the area of supply chain resilience has received heightened attention as a plethora of new risks, ranging from climate change to cybersecurity and infectious diseases, have emerged as serious threats to operational performance. The COVID-19 pandemic, in particular, has exposed the fragility of global supply chains in many sectors. Given these concerns, supply chain networks, including those designed based on the principles of lean philosophies, are increasingly being re-examined as firms grapple with the challenge of strengthening the capacity to withstand, absorb, and rebound from unexpected shocks. Addressing the urgency of this imperative, this study presents a novel framework—based on theories and concepts in the systems engineering (SE) and supply chain resilience domains to enhance the resilience implementation capabilities that are lacking in many of today's firms. By applying a Grounded Theory methodology, this study develops and validates a conceptual model that identifies six core attributes fundamental to developing resilience capabilities in complex supply chains. The study concludes by providing examples of, and insights into, the role of these attributes in building supply chain resilience.