A Conceptual Framework for Adopting Ambidexterity in Circular Supply Chains

The incorporation of the circular economy principles into Supply Chain Management leads to a Circular Supply Chain (CSC), which fosters the perpetual flow of materials in a cyclical manner without damaging the environment, society or economy. This perpetual flow is essential for organizations to survive in an ever-increasingly dynamic environment and in a natural resource-constrained economy (NRCE). Therefore, organizations, which aim to implement CSC must seek to identify an intermediating factor, which should simultaneously foster reactive supply chain strategies to manage natural resources limitation and proactive supply chain strategies for uncertain environment. The concept of Ambidexterity enabling the simultaneous pursuit of exploration and exploitation aligns with the principles of CSC. However, this concept has not been investigated in the CSC literature to date. Within this context, the aim of this paper is to propose a conceptual framework to adopt Ambidexterity in CSC. The framework has a two-dimensional hierarchy that includes eco-efficiency aimed at reactive strategies, and eco-effectiveness aimed at proactive strategies: both regenerative and restorative from supply chain process perspective, closed-loop and open-loop/cascading from flow perspective. This paper provides a conceptual framework with four propositions that should enable the adoption of Ambidexterity in CSC.