Title: Flexibility in logistics: a literature review

Authors: Kalyana C. Chejarla; Omkarprasad S. Vaidya; Sushil Kumar

Addresses: Institute of Management Technology, Survey No. 38, Charlaguda Village, Shamshabad Mandal, RR District, Hyderabad, Telangana – 501218, India ' Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow, India ' Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow, India

Abstract: This paper aims to review and analyse the literature on logistics flexibility in a structured framework. A systematic hybrid-narrative literature review of more than 120 research articles on logistics flexibility is performed, and findings are presented in a broad logistics framework. The study identifies five themes of logistics flexibility, namely: 1) flexibility in purchasing; 2) flexibility in in-house logistics; 3) flexibility in distribution network infrastructure; 4) flexibility in the fulfilment process; 5) flexibility in logistics services. We further classify these main themes into 16 sub-themes. The research presents state-of-art research in each sub-theme to benefit practicing managers and identifies extensions for future research. Logistics flexibility is an important tool in practitioners' hands to guard against disruptions, and this paper helps them choose the right logistics flexibility components and their respective levels.

Keywords: logistics flexibility; procurement flexibility; manufacturing flexibility; distribution flexibility; fulfilment flexibility; logistics services flexibility.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSOM.2023.133411

International Journal of Services and Operations Management, 2023 Vol.46 No.1, pp.60 - 110

Received: 01 Oct 2020
Accepted: 04 May 2021
Published online: 15 Sep 2023 *

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