Research in Logistics and Supply Chain Management in an Era of Digital Technology: a Forecasting Study[La Recherche en Logistique et Supply Chain Management à l'ère du Digital : Une Etude Prospective]

Purpose: There has been growing academic interest in logistics and supply chain management (L/SCM) as fields of study (Sachan and Datta, 2005). Yet this trend could be affected by innovation in digital technology (Wang et al, 2016). Indeed, digital technology plays an increasingly important role in today's world. Development of innovative solutions in digital technology could lead to a hazy outlook in L/SCM research (Kumar et al, 2015) and in innovation strategies that firms devise (Seraidarian, 2008). This study explores how initiatives in digital innovation can give clearer direction to the L/SCM research agenda to provide tomorrow's firms with strategic added value. Design / Methodology: We combined the Delphi and Prodin methods (Schmidt et al, 2001; Scouarnec, 2008) to carry out a forecasting study over four rounds, based on a panel of 128 respondents. The empirical investigation took place over eight months. Findings: The results underlined challenges in tomorrow's logistics that reveal certain paradoxes concerning coopetition, governance and systems. Originality / Value: The study identifies future challenges in digital innovation in L/SCM through an approach that combines two traditional forecasting methods in an original way. Practical applications: The results of the study could help decision-makers and managers foresee challenges that could arise in their daily work and consider how they could adjust their skills and business models.