Towards supply chain viability: mapping the trade-offs between efficiency, resilience and sustainability

Global supply chains are reaching the limits of a decades-long profit-maximisation dogma. Rising geopolitical instability, climate pressure and social expectations are questioning this logic. To remain viable, companies must manage more complex trade-offs between efficiency (E), resilience (R) and sustainability (S). This study maps these trade-offs from the perspective of supply chain viability (SCV) and paradox theory. An exploratory research design with 31 semi-structured interviews identified 21 recurring trade-offs, categorised along the SCOR processes and grouped into four conflict types: E vs. R, E vs. S, R vs. S and E vs. R vs. S. Efficiency was the dominant driver, often at the expense of resilience and sustainability. The study extends the SCV concept by proposing that these trade-offs form the basis for discussion about the long-term development of SCV and the identification of synergies. For practitioners, the trade-off map offers a tool for analysing recurring tensions.