Building Resilient Logistics Networks Through Autonomous Organizations
A special issue of Systems (ISSN 2079-8954). This special issue belongs to the section "Supply Chain Management".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2026 | Viewed by 10
Special Issue Editor
Interests: logistics information systems; cyber–physical systems; autonomous systems; safety and security
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The increasing complexity of global supply chains has revealed the limitations of centralized governance and fragmented logistics infrastructures. Disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, geopolitical instability, and climate-related events have highlighted systemic fragility, including trust deficits, coordination inefficiencies, and the lack of resilient structures. In response, scholars and practitioners have turned to emerging paradigms that promise greater adaptability and efficiency. Two such paradigms are Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs), which introduce novel governance mechanisms through blockchain and smart contracts, and the Physical Internet (PI), which proposes an interoperable and standardized model for logistics modeled after the digital Internet.
While these constructs have typically been examined in isolation, this Special Issue situates their intersection within the framework of small-world networks. The small-world phenomenon captures how systems can simultaneously sustain high local clustering (strong intra-group cohesion) and short global path lengths (efficient system-wide connectivity). This perspective is especially pertinent to supply chains, which must balance the efficiencies of local specialization with the demands of global integration.
The convergence of DAOs, the PI, and small-world network theory offers a novel theoretical framework for reimagining supply chain governance and infrastructure. DAOs provide decentralized, transparent, and automated governance; the PI delivers modular, interoperable physical networks; and the small-world paradigm ensures that these systems can balance local specialization with global efficiency. Together, these constructs directly address enduring supply chain challenges of trust, coordination, and resilience.
Future research should advance in three directions: (1) empirical evaluation of DAO-governed logistics consortia, (2) development of interoperable smart contract standards for PI applications, and (3) computational modeling of small-world topologies for supply chain networks. By aligning supply chain design with the principles of DAOs, the PI, and small-world networks, global logistics can achieve greater transparency, adaptability, and sustainability in the face of systemic uncertainty.
Prof. Dr. Roman Gumzej
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- global supply chain
- governance
- disruption
- systemic fragility
- trust deficit
- coordination inefficiency
- resilient structure
- small-world network
- distributed autonomous organization
- physical internet
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