The Four Supply Chain Archetypes

During the XX century supply chains have evolved in the face of new global market challenges to remove congenital inefficiencies such as the bullwhip effect. This paper illustrates four supply chain archetypes, from the classical traditional structure to the innovative synchronised configuration. The four archetypes are presented using a water tank analogy. We show how some key features of the business environment can deter the implementation of next-generation supply chain, despite their evident benefits. Our framework can be used as a support tool by firms to comprehend difficulties caused by the interaction with supply partners and to discover improvement opportunities achieved with innovative IT-enabled cooperation mechanisms.