Nearly 30% of companies surveyed combine relatively high resilience maturity with lower business performance, according to findings released from EFESO Management Consultants’ 2026 Global Supply Chain Survey.
While many organizations have invested in supplier diversification, inventory buffers, visibility tools, and digital technologies, those investments do not automatically translate into stronger results.
“Supply chain resilience has become a board-level priority, but resilience alone does not guarantee stronger business performance,” says Kerry Rosenhagen, expert director and supply chain design practice lead of EFESO. “The next challenge is turning resilience into an operating capability that allows organizations to anticipate disruption, make faster decisions, respond effectively, and continuously adapt.”
Key takeaways:
• Although 52% of organizations have a fully formalized continuity plan, only 20% conduct monthly supply chain risk assessments and just 14% regularly conduct stress tests or crisis simulations.
• Only 31% of organizations report full visibility across their supply networks, while 43% report partial visibility. Organizations with greater transparency – particularly beyond Tier 1 suppliers – are better positioned to detect disruptions, improve forecasts, and escalate emerging risks.
• 48% of high-performing organizations have mature digital supply chain capabilities, compared with just 10% of lower-performing organizations. Real-time visibility, advanced analytics, and decision-support tools are associated with faster, higher quality responses.
• Inventory buffers by themselves do not explain stronger performance. Leading organizations combine supplier diversification, alternative sourcing, faster capacity reallocation, cross-functional response mechanisms, and real-time decision support.
· No single investment determines resilience. Instead, stronger performing organizations connect visibility, digital capabilities, proactive risk management, supplier diversification, and governance routines into a coordinated system.
