The Interdisciplinary Future of Supply Chain Management Research

ABSTRACT Since the term supply chain management (SCM) was first introduced over 30 years ago, the field of SCM has undergone numerous transformations. Today, it is a prevailing theme in scholarly and popular research, and numerous disciplines claim its ownership. However, current and emerging SCM research challenges are becoming increasingly more complex. Fragmented and "siloed" research efforts across a range of disciplines may not be adequate to address the full complexities associated with these phenomena. We interviewed 50 SCM academic thought leaders, across a range of disciplines, and 20 SCM executives with the goal of helping researchers develop a consistent stream of work that builds on existing research, identifies relevant research directions, and provides guidance for the future. Although there were some differences in opinions, there was consensus on the boundary characteristics of SCM, as well as the identification of interdisciplinary research (IDR) as necessary for the enablement of SCM to address the numerous current and emerging intractable SCM challenges. In this article, we present these findings and provide a path forward based on the collective wisdom of these academics and executives.