A Challenge in Our Time: Issues of Race in Supply Chain Management

• Author: Thomas J. Goldsby,Walter Zinn,Terry L. Esper
• Published date: 01 September 2020
• Date: 01 September 2020
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/jbl.12257

Editorial

A Challenge in Our Time: Issues of Race in Supply Chain

Management

Terry L. Esper

1

, Thomas J. Goldsby

2

, and Walter Zinn

1

1

The Ohio State University

2

University of Tennessee-Knoxville

This editorial addresses one of the greatest challenges of our time—racial inequality. Logistics and supply chain management (SCM) factor

prominently in people’s everyday experiences, as consumers of products and logistics services as well as through participation in logistics

and supply chain workforces. These everyday experiences can be quite disparate depending on one’s race. As academics, we have a responsibil-

ity to peel back the layers of how these issues of race and diversity impact and interact with supply chain phenomena. This editorial is intended

to bolster conversation around these issues. We identify compelling themes that merit consideration and, perhaps, deeper investigation, including

race as an individual difference variable in our research, race in SCM talent and leadership, and race and racism in SCM execution. We also

call for more research that addresses racial inclusion and equal access in other aspects of SCM in light of its far-reaching influence in the realms

of business and society. The time has come to address these pervasive issues affecting organizations and individuals. We also introduce the arti-

cles appearing in the current issue of the journal.

Keywords: racial equality; diversity; social change; inclusion; talent

JBL community, we have a magnificent and meaningful opportu-

nity before us. All over the globe, we are witnessing historical

change, as conversations regarding matters of race and race rela-

tions have taken center stage. What started as global protests for

justice and reform precipitated by the killing of George Floyd

have turned into critical discussions and initiatives within corpo-

rate boardrooms. As a result, several companies have made sig-

nificant changes in order to better serve and support all

communities. Products have been pulled from shelves, brands

and logos have been reconsidered, and direct investments in

communities have been made. In essence, organizations have

pivoted in response to this moment in time, as a way of con-

tributing to meaningful solutions for the customers and con-

stituents they serve, and fostering a better understanding of the

communities within which they operate. Collectively, we in the

supply chain management (SCM) academic community have an

opportunity to do the same.

Let’s be clear. Racial biases and racism have long been an

Achilles’heel of the United States. Yet, a vital aspect of this cur-

rent moment has been a new spotlight and understanding on how

issues of race can be pervasive in all aspects of life—including

the management of supply chains and logistics operations. This

issue became apparent in national news, as the intersection of

race and the COVID-19 pandemic brought media attention to the

essential work of SCM, the health-related risks of operating dur-

ing the onset of the pandemic, and the realities of the race and

ethnic representations of essential workers. As academics, we

have a responsibility to peel back the layers of how these issues

of race and diversity impact and interact with supply chain

phenomena. In fact, considering how tough and hard-hitting con-

versations about race can be, we are perhaps most poised to open

meaningful dialogue and debate, as neutral observers of supply

chain environments equipped with the theories and methods to

make sense of what we see.

Issues associated with race and diversity are quite ripe for

focused and direct exploration in SCM and logistics. While it

is true that management and marketing scholars have covered

considerable ground while investigating marketplace and cor-

porate race matte rs for some time (e.g ., Harris et al. 2005 ;

Triana et al. 2010; Roberson et al. 2017; Grier et al. 2017;

Holmes et al. 2020), there are race and diversity issues that

are particularly nuanced and unique to supply chain. We high-

light several as a guide for scholars interested in leading the

charge.

Race as representative of an individual difference variable

Scholars across various disciplines have established that racial

differences can be meaningful, and even foundational, in defin-

ing how we experience day-to-day life (Andersen and Collins

2019). This diversity of lived experience has been shown as a

pretty strong predictor of how we evaluate options and make

decisions, and even how we communicate and interpret social

cues (Phillips et al., 2013). Yet, we very rarely see SCM

research that acknowledges how these differences might impact

study results and outcomes. There is a need for more research

that factors in race as an important individual difference variable,

as it is possible that matters of race could very well help

explain some portion of realized variance, with real performance

implications.

This issue is of particular need in studies that explore B2C

issues in SCM, and research involving frontline SCM personnel.

In both literatures, a heavy emphasis is placed on sampling, with

Correspondence author:

Terry L. Esper, Associate Professor of Logistics, Fisher College of

Business, 2100 Neil Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210; E-mail:

Esper.9@osu.edu

Journal of Business Logistics, 2020, 41(3): 178–181 doi: 10.1111/jbl.12257

© 2020 Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals