Abstract
Purpose
This study examines how and through which organizational capability pathways green supply chain management practices (GSCMPs) are associated with supply chain performance in private hospitals in Amman, Jordan. It moves beyond direct-effect assumptions by investigating how environmental strategy, green innovation, supply chain visibility, and supply chain resilience play distinct roles within two serial capability pathways that link sustainability practices to performance outcomes.
Design/methodology/approach
A quantitative survey was conducted among 266 managers from private hospitals in Amman, Jordan. Data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to test a serial mediation model capturing indirect relationships between GSCMPs and supply chain performance.
Findings
The results indicate that GSCMPs are positively associated with environmental strategy and green innovation, which are, in turn, positively associated with supply chain visibility. Supply chain visibility is positively associated with supply chain resilience, which, in turn, is positively associated with supply chain performance. Both serial indirect pathways are statistically significant, supporting a capability-development explanation of how sustainability practices are associated with performance.
Research limitations/implications
This study has several limitations that should be acknowledged. First, the analysis is based on cross-sectional data collected from private hospitals in Amman, Jordan, which may limit the generalizability of the findings. Second, the study relies on self-reported perceptual measures collected from managerial respondents. Although procedural and statistical measures were employed to assess potential common method bias, its influence cannot be completely excluded in a single-source cross-sectional design. Third, the cross-sectional design limits strong causal inference and does not capture how the proposed capabilities develop and interact over time.
Practical implications
The findings indicate that hospitals should not implement green supply chain practices in isolation. Their contribution to supply chain performance appears to depend on their alignment with environmental strategy and innovation efforts that support information visibility and adaptive capacity. This highlights the importance of coordinating sustainability initiatives with broader strategic, informational, and adaptive capabilities in healthcare supply chains to enhance supply chain performance.
Originality/value
This study contributes to benchmarking research by framing the relationship between sustainability practices and supply chain performance as an indirect, capability-based process. It provides empirical evidence from the healthcare sector by distinguishing the strategic role of environmental strategy, the operational transformation role of green innovation, the informational role of supply chain visibility, and the adaptive role of supply chain resilience within two serial pathways linking GSCMPs to supply chain performance.