Collaborative decision making in modern supply chains---A field study of means, technologies, and outcomes

Supply chain management is among the most significant innovations in all of business in recent years, Collaborative Decision Making among supply chain partners lies at the core of modern supply chain management. This research addresses the following research questions: (1) How to conceptualize collaborative decision making aligned with the real world of supply chain management? (2) What is the role of collaborative decision making in supply chains? (3) Why do supply chain organizations adopt collaborative decision making? (4) How do supply chain organizations implement collaborative decision making? (5) Why and how technology is used to support collaborative decision making? (6) What are the outcomes of collaborative decision making in supply chains?;Drawing from relevant literature of decision making, supply chain management, and knowledge management, using a case study method, this research develops and refines a framework for effective collaborative decision making in supply chains. It identifies key parameters relevant to collaborative decision making in supply chains.;This study contributes to the management literature by providing a relatively unified and comprehensive understanding of collaborative decision making in supply chains in terms of its means, technologies, and outcomes. It furnishes a springboard for both supply chain researchers and decision support researchers to further investigate this phenomenon. It also pros ides mangers with meaningful implications for effective inter-organizational collaboration.