Colaboração na cadeia de suprimentos e seu impacto no desempenho : o caso do setor metal mecânico do Rio Grande do Sul

Abstract

Collaboration has been widely used nowadays and it has been investigated in several areas; specifically in supply chain management, collaboration has been recognized as an important strategy for success. However, in practice, it is clear that few companies have understood and leveraged the potential of collaboration and, in the academical context, it appears that the scientific literature on the subject is limited in providing concepts to explain and differentiate the antecedent factors affecting collaboration in the supply chain, collaboration itself and its influence on the performance of the chain as a whole. This work aims to analyze the relationship between the antecedents that can lead to collaboration itself (internal alignments, trust and partnership orientation), the components of the collaboration (collaborative culture, joint planning, joint problem solving and information and resources sharing) and its effect on the performance of the supply chain. A quantitative research method was adopted, conducted via a survey with companies of the supply chain that belongs to the metal-mechanical sector of Rio Grande do Sul. 111 valid responses were obtained, which were analyzed by structural equation modeling technique (MEE) starting from the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The mensuration model allowed the analysis of construct validity and the structural model was used to examine relationships between the constructs, which were developed based on literature. Both models showed adequate results with the purpose of this study and two of the four research hypotheses were confirmed statistically. The results show the positive relationship between Partnership Orientation and Collaboration and between Collaboration and Supply Chain Performance. Relations between the constructs Internal Alignments and Collaboration and between Trust and Collaboration in the supply chain have not been confirmed, suggesting that these constructs have no significant role as an antecedent of collaboration to the companies studied. The results presented here will contribute, for example, to - through the empirical evidence found and the theoretical discussions - emphasize the importance of collaboration in the performance of the supply chain and generate opportunities for future studies on the subject area of collaboration in supply chains, such as deepening the analysis about relation between antecedents and components of collaboration from supply chain focal companies, checking closely the relationships between the members of its specific supply chain.