Lean or Agile Strategies for Service Supply Chains: a Review of Key Dimensions

This paper aims at providing insights into the key dimensions influencing the selection of the most appropriate strategy for service supply chains. This represents a central issue in supply chain management research, as the formulation of a proper supply chain strategy is a prerequisite for successful supply chain integration initiatives. During the last decade, several frameworks have been developed to assist companies in the evaluation of alternative supply chain strategies, relating them to the lean and agile paradigms and addressing their selection through the evaluation of product characteristics. However, studies in this area have focused primarily on manufacturing supply chains and little research has been devoted to service supply chain strategies, despite the acknowledged importance of supply chain management for service operations as well. This paper attempts to fill this gap by using manufacturing-oriented literature as a valuable base. More in detail, the key dimensions influencing the choice between lean and agile strategies as derived from existing frameworks are reviewed and adapted to service businesses by taking into account the unique characteristics of services.