Necessary conditions for supply chain resilience and viability: the roles of digital transformation and intelligence integration in emerging markets

Purpose Growing disruptions arising from pandemics, geopolitical conflicts, and technological changes have made supply chain resilience and long-term viability critical priorities for firms. While digital transformation (DT) and supply chain intelligence integration have been recognized as important capabilities for strengthening supply chains, limited research has examined how they jointly contribute to resilience and long-term viability, or which conditions are indispensable for achieving these outcomes. Drawing on the Knowledge-Based View (KBV) and the Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) framework, this study examined how digital transformation (DT) and supply chain intelligence integration (SCII) influence supply chain resilience and viability. It also examined the mediating role of supply chain intelligence integration and the moderating role of supply chain risk information analysis. Design/methodology/approach The proposed model was validated using survey data from 300 manufacturing firms in Ghana. Structural equation Modelling (SEM) using Partial Least Squares software and Necessary Condition Analysis (NCA) was employed to analyze the data. Findings The findings show that digital transformation and supply chain intelligence integration drive supply chain resilience (SCR), and subsequently translate into enhancing supply chain viability (SCV). Additionally, we found supply chain intelligence integration (customer and competitor intelligence) partially mediates the link between DT and SCR. We also found that supply chain resilience mediates the link between supply chain intelligence integration and viability and between digital transformation and supply chain viability. Although supply chain risk information analysis supports viability, it does not moderate the link between SCR and SCV. The NCA further differentiated between “must-have” (necessary) and “nice to have” capabilities needed for a higher level of resilience and viability of supply chains. Practical implications Managers in resource-constrained environments should prioritize customer and competitor intelligence over supplier intelligence when allocating limited resources. This does not imply that managers should neglect supplier relationships entirely, but rather that they should recognize that supplier intelligence is a sufficient but not necessary condition for achieving resilience or viability. Originality/value The study advances supply chain research by developing an integrated model that links digital transformation (stimulus), supply chain intelligence integration (organism), and supply chain viability (response). It extends prior research by showing how and when DT influences both resilience and viability, and by combining PLS-SEM with NCA for deeper analytical insights.