We introduce the concept of the reverse bullwhip effect (RBWE), which
can be caused by supply disruptions. In the RBWE, order variability increases as
one moves downstream in the supply chain, and therefore the RBWE is the opposite
of the classical bullwhip effect (BWE).We test our conjecture that disruptions cause
the RBWE using both a live ‘‘beer game’’ experiment and a simulation study. In the
beer game, we find that players modify their ordering behavior during disruptions,
and that these modifications cause the RBWE. We confirm this cause of the RBWE
under a broad range of settings using discrete-event simulation. Our results demonstrate
that supply uncertainty (in the form of random disruptions) and an overweighting
of the supply line cause the RBWE. They also confirm previous studies
showing that demand uncertainty and an underweighting of the supply line cause the
BWE. Moreover, our study provides guidance for models of operational disruptions
by incorporating human reactions to disruptions.