NOFOMA 2025 in Copenhagen
Join us from June 10-12, 2025 for the 37th NOFOMA 2025 Conference (in Copenhagen), the leading Nordic platform for logistics and supply chain management professionals. The conference kicks off with NORDLOG (for doctoral students) and the Educators’ Day (for educators) on June 10.
Process Research Methods for Studying SCM Phenomena
Our discipline is often dominated by propositional theorizing, which understands theories in terms of cause-and-effect relationships. In a previous post, I discussed how pluralism in theorizing styles (propositional, perspectival, and provocative theorizing) can enrich SCM research. A recent article by Julia Grimm, Ann Langley, and Juliane Reinecke (Process Research Methods for Studying Supply Chains and Their Management) introduces process theorizing as an additional option. The article outlines four approaches to studying processes: (1) evolution, which tracks how entities such as supply chains change over time; (2) narrative, which focuses on how people make sense of change; (3) activity, which examines the ongoing practices that constitute supply chains; and (4) withness, which emphasizes the co-evolution of researchers and the phenomena they study. These approaches demonstrate that supply chains are not static systems, but can be described in terms of dynamic, evolving processes. Process theorizing helps researchers better understand phenomena – such as those related to sustainability, resilience, and digitization – by focusing on how changes unfold over time.
Grimm, J., Langley, A., & Reinecke, J. (2024). Process Research Methods for Studying Supply Chains and Their Management. Journal of Supply Chain Management, 60(4), 3-26. https://doi.org/10.1111/jscm.12331
What the 2024 Nobel Prize Means for SCM Research
This year’s Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences was awarded to Daron Acemoğlu, Simon Johnson and James A. Robinson for their research on how political institutions affect long-term economic prosperity. Their work shows how colonial-era institutions continue to influence whether countries develop inclusive systems that foster growth or extractive systems that benefit elites and perpetuate inequality. I thought about what our discipline could learn from these findings. Future research in our discipline could benefit from examining how institutional frameworks in different countries affect global supply chains. For example, SCM research could explore the role of outsourcing to regions with extractive institutions in reinforcing exploitative labor practices, the extent to which outsourcing can be interpreted as neocolonialism, or the role of inclusive practices in supply chains (e.g., fair wages, equitable treatment, and respect for local governance) for development. And I am sure there is much more to learn from this work.
What is Preregistration?
One practice that I feel is not discussed enough in SCM research is preregistration, which is the practice of writing a detailed research plan before starting a study and making that plan publicly available. This practice clearly separates when researchers are testing a specific hypothesis (prediction) from when they are examining data to find new patterns (exploration). By deciding on hypotheses, methods, and analysis strategies in advance, researchers minimize the bias that can occur when they adjust their approach after seeing the data. This helps prevent the issue of unintentionally presenting after-the-fact explanations as if they were predicted from the start. Therefore, preregistration increases the credibility and transparency of research results. It also makes it easier for others to understand the work and, if necessary, replicate the study. While there may be practical challenges (e.g., unexpected changes during data collection) preregistration is becoming more common. Many academic institutions and journals now encourage or require it. For more information, visit the Center for Open Science.
