AccScience Publishing / SCMR / Online First / DOI: 10.36922/SCMR025440010
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ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE

Rhythmicity and integration: Integration challenges in customer-order-based supply chain strategies

Benedikte Borgström1†* Per Andersson2† Susanne Hertz2 Lars-Gunnar Mattsson3
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1 Department of Urban Studies, Faculty of Culture and Society, Malmö University, Malmö, Sweden
2 Department of Marketing and Strategy, Stockholm School of Economics, Stockholm, Sweden
3 Jönköping International Business School, Jönköping University, Jönköping, Sweden
†These authors contributed equally to this work.
Received: 31 October 2025 | Revised: 21 May 2026 | Accepted: 22 May 2026 | Published online: 29 July 2026
© 2026 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution -Noncommercial 4.0 International License (CC-by the license) ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ )
Abstract

Supply chain integration is often assumed to enhance coordination and effectiveness, yet everyday supply chain dynamics reveal persistent tensions between independence and interdependence among actors. This study examines these tensions by analyzing how industrial, marketing, and transportation actors coordinate within an integrated customer‑order supply chain. Drawing on Henri Lefebvre’s rhythmanalysis, we investigate two eras of Volvo Cars’ customer‑ordered production to investigate how temporal patterns, disruptions, and shifts in dominant logics of action shape integration outcomes. Methodologically, the study applies a situational case analysis supported by rhythmanalytical concepts to identify and interpret recurring rhythms, arrhythmias, and changes in coordination energy across actors. The findings show that integration does not guarantee effectiveness; rather, coordination is an ongoing accomplishment that must be continuously renewed as actors develop along their own logics. Differences in industrial, marketing, and transportation rhythms create temporal misalignments that influence customer orientation, cost orientation, and overall supply chain performance. Theoretically, the study contributes by introducing a rhythmanalytical perspective to supply chain integration, highlighting temporal dynamics that remain underexplored in existing research. Practically, the findings offer insights into how organizations can identify and manage rhythm conflicts to sustain effective coordination over time.

Keywords
Inter-organizational integration
Supply chain actors
Social approach
Case study
Temporality
Funding
The publication of this study was supported by the Swedish retail institution, Swedish Retail and Wholesale Council (HUR).
Conflict of interest
The authors declare they have no competing interests.
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Supply Chain Management Research, Published by AccScience Publishing