Collaboration in Healthcare Supply Chains: Potential and Barriers for Transformative Resilience

The complexity and dynamism of healthcare supply chains (HSCs) create unique challenges, requiring not just resilience as persistence or adaptation but also resilience as transformation. Addressing these potential challenges requires fostering resilience through collaboration among stakeholders. This study investigates the role of collaboration in managing disturbances in HSCs. The research examines collaborative actions deployed in response to high frequency-low impact disturbances and low frequency-high impact disturbances by conducting multiple case studies of Italian healthcare organisations. Findings reveal the significant role of horizontal collaborations, particularly between healthcare providers, and indicate that collaboration improves operational continuity and patient care by addressing resource shortages and enhancing response capabilities. However, systemic barriers such as regulatory constraints, technological incompatibility, and limited formalisation of collaborative practices hinder widespread adoption. Furthermore, while collaborative actions implemented to tackle high-frequency disturbances persist over time, disruption-driven collaborations often lack continuity after the crisis. The paper advocates transitioning from event-based risk management to a systemic resilience framework, emphasising sustained collaboration as a pathway to transformative resilience. Future research should expand case diversity and explore global contexts.