The development of a lean, agile and leagile supply network taxonomy based on differing types of flexibility

The paper explores the meaning of flexibility in the context of lean, agile and leagile supply networks and articulates a supply network flexibility framework. Two key ‘sources’ of flexibility are investigated: vendor flexibility and sourcing flexibility. The paper introduces an extension of the ‘leagility’ concept beyond the simple material flow decoupling point concept. Two new types of leagility are put forward: (1) leagile with vendor...