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Research Director, Center for Supply Chain Innovation

Robert Glenn Richey

Robert Glenn Richey is the Harbert Eminent Scholar in supply chain management at Auburn University and serves as the research director in the Center for Supply Chain Innovation. With a background in managerial roles across procurement, sales, and logistics, Richey has published over eighty articles in renowned scholarly journals and has received accolades such as the Cavusgil Award and the LaLonde award for his research contributions. He holds research professorships at the University of Bath and the University of Edinburgh and has taught globally, mentoring doctoral students at various universities. Richey is an associate editor for the Journal of Business Logistics and the Journal of Supply Chain Management, and he received Emerald Publishing’s Leading Editor Award. His service extends to organizations like FEMA, DHS, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

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Contributor Brief·Robert Glenn Richey · 1 articles
Updated Jul 27, 2023

Speed-obsessed delivery economy masks structural fragility in labor models

Richey argues that the modern delivery economy's obsession with speed and efficiency has created hidden structural fragility that depends on unsustainable labor practices and worker exploitation. A narrowly averted labor crisis reveals that the entire supply chain model rests on a foundation of precarity that will eventually force a reckoning between consumer expectations and worker sustainability.

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labor dispute nearly collapsed entire U.S. delivery infrastructure

“The speed-obsessed delivery economy depends on labor models that cannot withstand scrutiny.”

A UPS Strike Was Averted, But Supply Chain Fragility and its Labor Model Are Now Back in Focus

Fragility vectors in modern supply chain delivery model

Labor cost pressure and wage sustainability9
Reliance on speed-first operational design8
Worker burnout and turnover vulnerability9
Lack of redundancy in workforce models7

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27%Labor cost
Labor cost pressure and wage sustainability
Reliance on speed-first operational design
Worker burnout and turnover vulnerability
Lack of redundancy in workforce models

averted

strike outcome exposes but does not resolve underlying fragility

Supply chain fragility is now back in focus after a near-catastrophic labor crisis.

A UPS Strike Was Averted, But Supply Chain Fragility and its Labor Model Are Now Back in Focus

The delivery economy cannot sustain current speed expectations without fundamentally restructuring labor economics.

A UPS Strike Was Averted, But Supply Chain Fragility and its Labor Model Are Now Back in Focus

“Avoiding one strike does not fix the structural contradictions underlying the model.”

Themes:Hidden fragility in speed-optimized systemsLabor model unsustainability as structural riskSupply chain fragility masquerading as efficiency

Latest article

Professional AV · Jul 27

A UPS Strike Was Averted, But Supply Chain Fragility and its Labor Model Are Now Back in Focus

A narrowly averted labor dispute exposes the hidden fragility underlying the speed-obsessed delivery economy

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A UPS Strike Was Averted, But Supply Chain Fragility and its Labor Model Are Now Back in Focus

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  • AM
    Alex M.·2h agoquestion

    What sparked your research into disruptive innovation?

    Curious what the original insight was that led you to the Innovator's Dilemma framework.

  • SL
    Sophia L.·1d agoidea

    Would love a deep-dive into EdTech adoption barriers.

    Your framing of sustaining vs. disruptive innovation feels directly applicable to school systems.

  • DR
    David R.·3d agoquestion

    How do you see AI changing the personalized learning landscape?