Analysing the inhibitors of complexity for achieving sustainability and improving sustainable performance of petroleum supply chain

In the era of business sustainability, the modern supply chain is becoming complex due to several inhibitors such as uncertainty in the market, technological innovation, environmental protocols, cross-border trade regulations, and the involvement of many stakeholders. In the existing literature, very limited discussion to study the inhibitors of supply chain complexity (SCC) for achieving sustainability. Therefore, the purpose of the study is to analyse the inhibitors to SCC and supply chain sustainability (SCS) jointly and examine the underlying relationship for improving sustainable performance in the context of the Petroleum Supply Chain (PSC) which is arguably one of the complex sectors with significant impact on environment and sustainability. The inhibitors to SCC and SCS are identified through extensive literature review and experts’ opinions. Through a structured questionnaire, data was collected from PSC experts. An integrated approach of analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and interpretive structural modelling (ISM) is proposed to prioritize and examine the underlying relationship between inhibitors. This study explores the driving and dependence power of the inhibitors. The results indicate that most of the SCS inhibitors, such as institutional pressures (laws and regulations), strategic lack of strategic supplier alliance, market threat, act as drivers of SCC inhibitors, such as technological complexity, horizontal complexity, and complexity of customers. The findings of the study would help the supply chain managers and the policymakers of the petroleum sector to take better decision to overcome the challenges for achieving sustainability in PSC