Humanitarian supply chains (HSCs) play an essential role in alleviating humanitarian crises in disaster-prone settings where lead-time effectiveness is critical. Information systems are key to the integration between humanitarian organizations (HOs) and donors, particularly for performance management that supports preparedness. However, empirical research on how information systems influence such integration remains limited. This study addresses this gap using a mixed-methods approach that operationalizes information systems as characteristics, capabilities, and flows, and links them to the integration between HOs and donors in performance management during preparedness. The methodology consists of a three-phase mixed-methods approach, including survey pretesting through focus group discussions, a survey of 145 Indonesian HOs operating in disaster-prone settings, and focus group discussions to validate the interpretation of the quantitative results. Hierarchical regression analysis reveals that information systems characteristics and capabilities significantly influence integration, and information systems flow can influence integration when challenges are addressed. Theoretically, the study advances understanding of how information systems enable integration for preparedness. In practice, it highlights the need to standardize data formats, define performance metrics and communication protocols, and implement training initiatives. The findings offer insights that strengthen HSC preparedness in similar settings and suggest topics for future research.

Purpose: The ultimate goal of humanitarian supply chains (HSCs) is to save lives and alleviate suffering during disasters in the shortest possible time, emphasizing the importance of lead-time effectiveness (LTE). However, there is a lack of LTE metrics along HSCs, and a concern that HSC actors therefore cannot prove they are achieving LTE. This study aims to develop a framework of tailored performance metrics for LTE along an HSC.

Design/methodology/approach: The study first conducted a systematic literature review of HSC articles and then reviewed commercial supply chain articles to identify LTE performance metrics. These metrics were positioned across three logistics activities (procurement, inbound, and outbound transportation) and two HSC stages (preparedness and response) to develop a framework of tailored performance metrics for LTE along an HSC.

Findings: The study found that no identified study defined LTE. Existing HSC research focuses on either lead-time (LT) or effectiveness (E) rather than LTE, with inconsistent and uneven coverage of metric definitions along an HSC. To address these issues, insights from CSC research were incorporated, resulting in a framework with 11 LT metrics (e.g., supplier lead-time), nine effectiveness metrics (e.g., beneficiaries’ satisfaction), and one proposed LTE metric.

Research limitations/implications: This study contributed to the literature on performance management in HSC by integrating lead-time and effectiveness metrics across logistics activities and HSC stages. This provides a foundation for future research on LTE in HSC contexts.

Practical implications: The tailored performance metrics for LTE offer a clear set of applicable performance metrics in logistics activities along an HSC that can guide and be used by HSC actors.

Societal implications: The framework encourages HSC actors to apply LTE, enabling timely human responses and better support for beneficiaries in crises.

Original/value: The study's value lies in its analyses of HSCs and the integration of insights from CSCs to tailor LTE. This approach provides a novel framework that combines both contexts in tailoring performance metrics for LTE in the HSC context.

Purpose: This study aims to explore how to apply and integrate the performance management (PM) process in humanitarian supply chains (HSCs) among and between humanitarian organizations (HOs) and donors so as to improve cost-efficiency (CE) and lead-time effectiveness (LTE) in the stage of natural disaster preparedness.

Design/methodology/approach: This study adapts and operationalizes a framework for the PM process used in commercial supply chains to assess HSCs. A multiple-case study with two types of actors – six HOs and three donors—is used to describe the applications of the PM process and analyze the level of integration between the actors.

Findings: The activities in the PM process could sometimes be only vaguely described. Both actors emphasized improving CE, with less emphasis on LTE. Both actors have a low level of integration in each PM process activity, decreasing the CE and LTE. Therefore, guidelines for improving the level of PM process integration are provided.

Research limitations/implications: To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is one of the first to combine literature on HSCs and PM process integration, thereby contributing to both literature fields. The concrete contribution of this study is a framework for PM process application and integration among and between HOs and donors.

Practical implications: The PM process framework can be used to assess PM process application, as well as current and increased level of integration, to improve CE and LTE. The current applications can also inspire other HOs and donors.

Originality/value: Previous studies indicate the lack of frameworks in the PM domain of HSCs, especially in the stage of natural disaster preparedness.

ABSTRACT

Purpose

The study aims to operationalize the information systems in the humanitarian supply chain performance management between humanitarian organizations and donors in the preparedness stage, which can be used for empirical studies.

Design/methodology/approach

The study used a systematic literature review using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) to gather and analyze 17 peer-reviewed publications. Then, analyses were used to develop an operationalization.

Findings

Most publications focused on operationalization in one area, e.g., information systems, performance management, or preparedness stage. Only seven publications provided survey/interview instruments/guidelines, operationalized into questions/variables for future empirical studies covering three areas: description, initial understanding, and analysis.

Research limitation/implications

The operationalization can be pretested for question appropriateness and used to collect data from humanitarian organizations and donors, highlighting the relationship between information systems and performance management in the preparedness stage.

Social implications

The study lays the foundation for its contribution to the social community in conducting empirical studies (e.g., surveys) by initially operationalizing information systems in the humanitarian supply chain performance management, potentially improving lead-time effectiveness and cost-efficiency.

Original/value

Previous studies did not provide operationalizing information systems for humanitarian supply chain performance management in the preparedness stage for empirical studies.

Keywords: humanitarian supply chain, operationalization, survey, information systems, performance management activities, preparedness

Purpose – This study aims to review the current research in the digitalization of the humanitarian supply chain performance management (HSCPM)and complement the insights found in the literature with the support of humanitarian organization (HO) reports. As a result, this study also identifies research gaps and directions for future research.

Design/methodology/approach – The study first used a systematic literature review using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis to collect and review 25 peer-reviewed articles. Second, the study complemented the articles’ findings by collecting and analyzing 12 HO reports.

Findings – The study reveals the common understanding and links between HSCPM concepts and digitalization approaches, determining that the digitalization approaches per se used in the literature are indistinct and fragmented. Furthermore, it reveals the gaps between literature and practice that cause the research to develop slowly. Some suggestions are made to aid relevant future research. Both gaps and research directions are presented in Table 5.

Research limitations/implications – This study first contributed to methodology in reviewing the digitalization of HSCPM research from literature and practical perspectives. There is a need to expand the data collection scope, integrate various analyses, and foster collaborations with multi-disciplinary researchers and practitioners.

Social implications – This study highlights the gaps and potential pathways for the research community to conduct future research investigations into the digitalization of HSCPM.

Originality/value – To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is one of the first studies to analyze the HSC’s current research into the applicationof digitalization in HSCPM from both academic and practical perspectives. It also provides a replicable methodology for future studies.

ABSTRACT

Purpose

The study aims to understand the state of the art in digitalization of performance management (PM) in humanitarian supply chains (HSCs) research and proposes a potential future research agenda.

Design/methodology/approach

The study used a systematic literature review method, Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) to collect studies on the digitalization of PM in HSCs research during the past ten years. As a result, there were 22 peer-reviewed  journals identified since 2012. Then, the collected studies were analyzed to fulfill the  purpose of the study.

Findings

The findings discuss the state of the art in the digitalization of PM. It identifies knowledge gaps, such as a lack of application of digitalization in PM research and its relevance across different disaster stages, research on categories of digitalization concepts to improve PM, common definitions of digitalization concepts in PM, and research on different digitalization concepts to improve PM concepts and their connections, and research on benefits and challenges. These gaps open the directions for the future research agenda.

Research limitations/implications

The study opens new directions for further research in the digitalization of PM. The study is based on qualitative methods, data collection from peer-reviewed journals and databases, and conducted by a single author. Further studies could combine with quantitative methods and collect other data (e.g., reports) from different databases, and collaborate with other authors.

Practical implications

The study can guide future research by addressing knowledge gaps and utilizing possible research topics and methodologies to implement digitalization in improving HSCs’ PM.

Original/value

Previous studies analyzed HSCs literature in digitalization and PM. On the other hand, this study analyzes HSCs literature in the digitalization of PM and contributes insights for research and practical implications.