 The Case for a Unified Science of OperationsMark L. Spearman and Wallace J. Hopp Production and Operations Management, 2021, vol. 30, issue 3, 802-814 Abstract: Throughout its history, the industrial engineering/operations management (IE/OM) field has relied heavily on axiomatic models and empirical studies of individual systems. But, unlike other engineering and management disciplines, it lacks a clear foundation in a descriptive science. Exceptional results like the famous “bullwhip effect” paper by Lee et al. (1997) hint at the powerful potential for a descriptive science of operations. But the very fact that such works are exceptional suggests that they are held to a high bar in the publishing process. This may be symptomatic of the cultural norms that have prevented our field from producing a rigorous scientific foundation. In this study, we make a case for why developing a unified science of operations is essential for IE/OM education, practice and research. We provide examples and a tentative framework to illustrate what such a science might look like and use this framework to generate a testable hypothesis about a powerful relationship between variability buffers in and operations system. We conclude with suggestions of measures we can take collectively to promote development of the science of operations. Date: 2021 Downloads: (external link) Related works: Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:bla:popmgt:v:30:y:2021:i:3:p:802-814 Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from Access Statistics for this article Production and Operations Management is currently edited by Kalyan Singhal More articles in Production and Operations Management from Production and Operations Management Society |
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