The Etiology of Formation and Reacting Way to a Change in the Supply Chain

Purpose: The aim of this article was to determine the etiological factors of changes occurring in supply chains and to diagnose the reactions to these factors. Design/Methodology/Approach: The study was carried out for separated 19 categories grouping etiological factors. To structure the data in the process of building the categories, a systematic diagram and a code distribution analysis diagram were used. In the next part, when creating the ASPM method, some assumptions of the Scrum and DSDM method were used. Due to the subject matter of the conducted research, it was decided to apply a case study supplemented by a structured interview. The sample consisted of companies conducting business in international supply chains and cooperation with logistics operators, including 4PL. Findings: The results show that the development should be towards a flexible organization. The process of flexible adaptation of an organization that is compound, i.e., the supply chain, to changes of an exo- and endogenous nature requires the operationalization of the entire concept based on the experience in project management, especially due to the non-linearity of emerging interactions within the framework of the change taking place. Practical Implications: Etiology, by focusing on the background of a given phenomenon, fact or process, by isolating etiological factors that cause them, allows us to discover the causes of the existing state of affairs. This applies to virtually every discipline and area of life. Originality/Value: The study identified factors of changes occurring in supply chains and to diagnose the reactions to these factors.