AI & Society
AI-driven supply chains are linked to higher agility and adaptability in Jordanian manufacturing, but only agility is tied to adopting automation and robotics
In a 2026 paper in Logistics, researchers from University of Nizwa, Palestine Technical University - Kadoorie, and German Jordanian University surveyed 337 managers at Jordanian manufacturing firms. The managers reported on AI-driven supply chains, adaptability and agility, which are two signs of how flexibly a firm can respond to change. AI-driven supply chains showed significant links to higher adaptability and higher agility. Only agility had a direct and significant link to whether firms adopted automation and robotics. Adaptability did not show that direct link. Market turbulence changed the link between adaptability and adoption, but it did not change the link between agility and adoption.
What did the researchers do?
They developed a conceptual model from dynamic capabilities theory and institutional theory. They tested the model with survey responses from 337 managers at Jordanian manufacturing firms. The analysis used partial least squares structural equation modeling, a statistical method for estimating relationships among several variables at once.
What did the results show?
AI-driven supply chains were significantly linked to both adaptability and agility. Only agility had a direct and significant link to adoption of automation and robotics. Market turbulence changed the strength of the link between adaptability and adoption. It did not change the link between agility and adoption.
What practical guidance did the authors give?
The authors say managers in developing economies like Jordan should develop agile capabilities and adopt AI technologies to support innovation. In the results, agility was the only capability with a direct link to adopting automation and robotics.
Does adaptability matter?
Adaptability mattered under certain market conditions. Market turbulence changed the link between adaptability and adoption of automation and robotics. The abstract does not report a direct link from adaptability to adoption when that market condition was absent.
Limits and what's next
The researchers surveyed 337 managers from Jordanian manufacturing firms through an online survey and analyzed the responses with partial least squares structural equation modeling. This is one study, and the abstract reports no independent replication. The authors describe the focus on one country and one sector as a limitation. They say future research should explore other industries and add other moderating or mediating variables.
Source: Ahmed Adnan Zaid and Luay Jum’a, “The Role of AI-Driven Supply Chains in Shaping Agility, Adaptability, and Technology Adoption Under Market Turbulence,” Logistics, 2026.