Technological University Dublin

ARROW@TU Dublin

Practitioner Journals National Institute for Transport and Logistics

2020

Rethinking Research Methods in Operations and Supply Chain

Management
Roberto Sarmiento
University of San Luis Petosi, Mexico

Garvan Whelan
Technological University Dublin, [email protected]

Jan Sprenger
University of Turin, Italy

Follow this and additional works at: https://arrow.tudublin.ie/nitloth

Part of the Business Commons

Recommended Citation
Sarmiento, R., Whelan, G. and Sprenger, J. (2018). Rethinking Research Methods in Operations and Supply
Chain Management. Production Planning & Control, Vol.29, No. 16. doi:10.1080/09537287.2018.1535148

This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the National Institute for Transport and Logistics at
ARROW@TU Dublin. It has been accepted for inclusion in Practitioner Journals by an authorized administrator of
ARROW@TU Dublin. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected],
[email protected], [email protected].
 Production Planning & Control
The Management of Operations

ISSN: 0953-7287 (Print) 1366-5871 (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tppc20

‘Rethinking research methods in operations and

supply chain management’

Roberto Sarmiento, Garvan Whelan & Jan Sprenger

To cite this article: Roberto Sarmiento, Garvan Whelan & Jan Sprenger (2018) ‘Rethinking
research methods in operations and supply chain management’, Production Planning & Control,
29:16, 1303-1305, DOI: 10.1080/09537287.2018.1535148

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/09537287.2018.1535148

Published online: 28 Jan 2019.

Submit your article to this journal

Article views: 1152

View related articles

View Crossmark data

Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at

https://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=tppc20
PRODUCTION PLANNING & CONTROL
2018, VOL. 29, NO. 16, 1303–1305
https://doi.org/10.1080/09537287.2018.1535148

EDITORIAL

‘Rethinking research methods in operations and supply chain management’

A few years ago, a group of Operations Management scholars this process. It also highlights the importance of specifying
(MacCarthy et al. 2013) authored a thought-provoking paper the type of hypothesis proposed and the logical implications
entitled ‘The same old methodologies? Perspectives on OM of this for using case studies for theory testing purposes. The
research in the post-lean age’. Noting that the OM field is, by paper suggests that these conceptual issues should be exam-
its very nature, close to practice and that the world is chang- ined in the light of Popper’s principles of critical rationalism.
ing economically, technologically, politically and socially, they Since the findings from investigations into operational issues
follow up with a pointed question (934): ‘Are our OM research can be used as the basis for policy recommendations, it is
methods fit for purpose for the new age?’ Amongst their noted that the process of theory formulation and testing is a
many interesting views and opinions, they conclude that the topic of critical importance for the relevance and rigour of
OM profession must not make assertions regarding the suprem- OM research.
acy of qualitative empirical studies over quantitative ones, and Two of the other articles in this Special Issue adopt con-
vice versa (our italics). Instead, they affirm that ‘ … a rich diver- trasting approaches to methodological topics relating to case
sity of methods is available and this diversity is beneficial and study research.
should persist’ (951). It should be noted that past authors The paper by Kelliher and McAdam provides insight into
have previously commented on the merits and deficiencies of the design and execution of a longitudinal case study. Their
both quantitative and qualitative research approaches (e.g. investigation spanned over a 4 year period and their paper
Boyer and Swink 2008; Childe 2011). focused on methodological issues arising from the implemen-
As editors of this Special Issue, we come from different tation of an Operations Management (OM) system in three
backgrounds and formal trainings (Operations Management, micro-firms. Through a chronicle of both researchers’ experien-
Business Analytics and Financial Management, Philosophy of ces over the 4 years, we gain a better understanding of issues
Science, respectively). Nevertheless, one thing that unites us such as negotiating access, and approaches to data collection
is our common interest in these types of profound debates and analysis. Advice from the paper that will benefit OM
and discussions. We broadly agree with MacCarthy et al. and researchers interested in this approach to empirical investiga-
other scholars about the need to have a rich diversity of tions include highlighting the importance of specifying obser-
both quantitative and qualitative research approaches at our vation arrangements in advance of commencing the study
disposal. We also think that debates about methodologies and guidelines on when to start (and finish) a longitudinal
that can help us to understand more comprehensively, for case study in an OM context.
example, ‘what causes what’ questions (Karlsson 2009, 19) Examining the philosophical basis of this paper, it can be
are always welcome. Having said this, we also believe that seen that the authors distinguish between an ‘objective’ and
such debates should be redirected towards identifying the a ‘subjective’ stance with the latter perspective focusing on
type of hypothesis under investigation and other fundamen- the unique particular and individual situation under investi-
tal methodological issues. We believe that these discussions gation. This provided the justification for the application of
will improve the rigour and relevance of OM research. This is an underlying philosophy of ‘interpretivism’ in the paper.
the background to our call for papers that are based on a However, it is interesting to note that the authors acknowl-
considered rethinking of research methods in OM. The con- edge the value of objective procedures such as establishing
tributors to this Special Issue have responded to this chal- a data collection protocol and the chronological ordering of
lenge by presenting fresh ideas on a broad range of OM the data for reporting purposes.
methodological approaches. Following on from Yin (2003), the paper by El-Akruti,
The first article presented in the Special Issue by Whelan, Kiridena, and Dwight adopts a contrasting approach to case
Sarmiento, and Sprenger is a discussion paper that aims to study design that sets out accurate measures of operational
promote a debate on fundamental methodological topics in variables and methods of identifying the causal relationship
OM research. As indicated in its title – ‘Universal-determinis- between these variables. Nonetheless, it is accepted that the
tic and probabilistic hypotheses in operations management researchers’ own perspectives will influence the presentation
research: a discussion paper’ – this paper comments on the and subjective interpretations of the evidence arising from
formulation and testing of hypotheses and sheds light on the case study investigations. The authors of this paper pro-
the potentially important role that case studies can play in pose a ‘contextualist-retroductive’ approach in order to

ß 2019 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group

1304 EDITORIAL

achieve a reconciliation between objective and subjective foundationally sound methodology for OM. It is also
aspects of case study design. This approach is illustrated in intended that, in keeping with the main aims of Production
the context of a strategic asset management. The paper pro- Planning & Control, this Special Issue will be a useful resource
vides useful guidance for other OM researchers on how a of reference and the stimulus for further debate on ways to
case study design can be operationalised using specified pro- improve the rigour and relevance of OM research.
tocols and procedures. As a final note, we would like to give special thanks to
Three of the papers in this Special Issue suggest different Stephen J Childe, Editor-in-Chief of PPC, for the opportunity
approaches in order to address methodological issues arising to lead this project. We also thank Heather Childe, for the
from conducting research on organisations in the current invaluable assistance throughout the whole process. The
dynamic and challenging OM environment. contributions of each and every one of the authors are very
The paper by Romero-Silva, Santos, and Hurtado deals much appreciated. We also acknowledge the diligent work of
with the question of how contextual factors affect the organ- the reviewers that helped us with the essential task of refer-
isational structure of a business – and thus, indirectly, its per- eeing the manuscripts.
formance. They review the literature in Organizational
Management Practice Contingency Research (OM PCR) and
note that it could benefit from a more holistic approach,
Notes on contributors
where the structure and context of an organisation are seen
as a single integrated entity: the organisational system. They Roberto Sarmiento received his PhD in Manufacturing Engineering and
spell out the definition of various organisation types and Operations Management from the University of Nottingham, UK. He is cur-
rently an Associate Professor at the Autonomous University of San Luis Potosi,
show which advantages researchers and practitioners could
Mexico. Roberto is interested in a variety of topics, including operations man-
gain by adopting the notion of an organisational system – agement, green supply chain management, decision-making models, and the
especially when it comes to designing studies and identify- philosophy of science.
ing helpful OM practices. Garvan Whelan has extensive industrial experience
A systematic review of research articles on the manage- including management of operations, sales and
ment of manufacturing capabilities is presented in the paper finance in the manufacturing and retail sectors. He
by Ogbunike, Purvis, and Naim. The authors note that in the has also worked as a business analyst in the finan-
cial services, technology and tourism industries. This
current highly competitive manufacturing environment, industrial experience combined with a keen interest
organisations need to move beyond possessing capabilities in research methodology formed the basis for his
that focus on internal expertise in technical areas, process PhD with University College Dublin. The outcomes
efficiency and individual organisational structure. The well from this included an award-wining case study that
established and rapidly increasing use of outsourcing strat- addressed the trade-offs between product, market and financial consid-
erations. His current action research project focuses on the application
egies and the impact of global influences means that manu-
of business analytic techniques in order to provide insights into the
facturing capabilities must now transcend traditional financial implications of outsourcing and assessments of individual com-
confined organisational boundaries. Based on an insightful pany systematic risk factors.
review of the philosophical foundations of over 100 papers, Jan Sprenger is Professor of Philosophy of Science
the authors conclude that conducting effective research in at the University of Turin in Italy and currently
this area requires a range of methodological approaches that Principal Investigator of an ERC Starting Grant on
scientific objectivity. Prior to that, he worked at
can address the complex and dynamic issues that arise in
Tilburg University in the Netherlands (2008–2017),
the arena of managing manufacturing capabilities. where he also directed the Tilburg Center for Logic,
The difficulties for research investigations arising from a Ethics and Philosophy of Science (TiLPS) from 2014
number of complex factors in the current OM environment onwards. His research focuses on epistemological
are also recognized in the contribution from Bai and Sarkis. questions in science, such as models of causal rea-
In order to honour these complexities, research methodolo- soning, statistical inference, and scientific objectivity. In spring 2019, his
monograph ‘Bayesian Philosophy of Science’ (with Stephan Hartmann)
gies and decision models are required that can take into
will appear with Oxford University Press.
consideration a large number of stakeholder interests includ- website: www.laeuferpaar.de
ing those of customers, suppliers, shareholders and regula-
tory bodies. Rough Set Theory is proposed as a methodology
that can assist in the investigation of these multiple stake- References
holder relationships and can also address other complex Boyer, K. K., and M. L. Swink. 2008. “Empirical Elephants—Why Multiple
issues that arise when researching the management of sus- Methods Are Essential to Quality Research in Operations and Supply
tainable supply chains. This approach is explained in great Chain Management.” Journal of Operations Management 26: 337–348.
detail and can provide a theoretical framework that will ben- Childe, S. J. 2011. “Case Studies in Operations Management.” Production
efit both OM researchers and practitioners. Planning and Control 22 (2): 107.
Karlsson, C. 2009. “Researching Operations Management.” In Researching
In summary, this Special Issue presents a range of pro-
Operations Management, edited by C. Karlsson, 6–41. New York:
posals that have resulted from a carefully considered reflec- Routledge.
tion and rethinking of OM research methods. We hope that MacCarthy, B. L., M. Lewis, C. Voss, and R. Narasimhan. 2013. “The Same
this will contribute to the evolution of an accepted and Old Methodologies? Perspectives on OM Research in the Post-Lean
 PRODUCTION PLANNING & CONTROL 1305

Age.” International Journal of Operations & Production Management Garvan Whelan

33 (7): 934–956. Department of Accountancy and Professional Studies, School of
Yin, R. K. 2003. Case Study Research: Design and Methods. Thousand
Business and Humanities, Institute of Technology, Tallaght,
Oaks: Sage Publications.
Dublin, Ireland
Roberto Sarmiento
Faculty of Engineering, Autonomous University of San Luis Jan Sprenger
Potosi, San Luis Potosi, Mexico Center for Logic, Language and Cognition (LLC), University of
[email protected] Turin, Turin, Italy