Prioritizing Quality Over Quantity in Academia
It is up to all of us to make academia a better place. As we take on roles as members of tenure committees, doctoral committees, editorial boards, department chairs, and deans, we have a choice to focus on the quality rather than the quantity of academic ideas. I believe that most academics are intrinsically motivated and do not require additional incentives. Therefore, academic institutions should focus on trusting their faculty, providing training, and offering resources, rather than measuring their performance. For example, at Copenhagen Business School, applicants can upload a few selected publications for evaluation. This approach allows assessment committee members to concentrate on the quality of the submitted work by thoroughly reviewing it, rather than merely counting the number of publications. Similarly, the Journal of Supply Chain Management has implemented initiatives to enhance the skills of authors and reviewers. These include paper development workshops and a unique reviewer development program aimed at providing better training and support.
A Guided Tour Through the Qualitative Research City
I am pleased to share with you a new article I co-authored with Wendy L. Tate and Tingting Yan: A Guided Tour Through the Qualitative Research City. This is my first Journal of Supply Chain Management editorial. In this piece, we draw parallels between a city’s less-visited buildings and ten research approaches: (1) grounded theory, (2) interpretive research, (3) sensemaking, (4) sociomateriality, (5) actor–network theory, (6) ethnography, (7) action research, (8) discourse analysis, (9) narrative research, and (10) historical research. Our goal is to inspire our readers to embrace the methodological diversity of our discipline, as we have noticed a tendency for many to focus on a limited set of qualitative approaches, much like tourists flocking to the Eiffel Tower but not visiting other parts of Paris. JSCM is better equipped than ever to support these and other approaches, as we and our predecessors have made great efforts to diversify and expand our team of associate editors and reviewers to ensure that we can treat a manuscript as it deserves.
Wieland, A., Tate, W.L., & Yan, T. (2024). A Guided Tour Through the Qualitative Research City. Journal of Supply Chain Management, 60(1), 3–12. https://doi.org/10.1111/jscm.12315
Personal Predictions for Supply Chain Management in 2024
For several years now, it has been a tradition for me to use this blog to offer a little outlook on the coming months of SCM, a kind of glimpse into the crystal ball. This year, however, it is particularly difficult for me to do so. I have spent the last couple of weeks repairing the extensive damage that the climate crisis has caused to my parents’ house. Since the spring of 2023, the sea surface temperatures have consistently reached unprecedented extremes, leading to evaporation over the Atlantic and heavy rainfall in Germany. My compatriot, climatologist Stefan Rahmstorf, summarizes the current situation in Germany as follows: “Extreme precipitation is on the increase worldwide, including here [in Germany] due to global warming. Climate researchers have been warning about this for more than 30 years; the data from weather stations have long since confirmed it.” I hope you understand that in this situation I don’t feel like making predictions for SCM this year. My hope for this year is that we can all work together to protect the climate, because emissions along global supply chains play a critical role in this necessary transformation.
Tackling the Replication Crisis in Supply Chain Management
The replication crisis that has deeply affected neighboring disciplines is now under scrutiny in operations management. Eight scholars (Davis et al.: A Replication Study of Operations Management Experiments in Management Science) took the initiative to examine the replicability of ten influential experimental articles. Their results were disturbing: only six articles were fully replicated, two were partially replicated, and two completely missed the mark. Such results raise questions about the robustness of our basic research. In light of these findings, a pressing question arises: Does supply chain management, a closely related discipline, face a similar challenge? As we chart the course forward, it is imperative that both operations and supply chain management embrace transparency, rigor, and accountability. Addressing this crisis head-on will ensure that our disciplines maintain credibility, relevance, and trustworthiness in the academic and business communities. It is clear that there is a need for more replication studies that can challenge existing work.
Davis, A.M., Flicker, B., Hyndman, K., Katok, E., Keppler, S., Leider, S., Long, X., & Tong, J.D. (2023). A Replication Study of Operations Management Experiments in Management Science. Management Science, 69(9), _-_. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2023.4866
Enhancing the Practical Relevance of SCM Research
One hundred years ago, practitioners were the lead researchers seeking to improve production processes. Iconic developments such as the Toyota Production System emerged from the real-world challenges faced by these early scientists. Fast forward to today, and there is a growing concern that our research is losing touch with real-world practice. Toffel’s (2016) article, Enhancing the Practical Relevance of Research, provides an insightful critique of the current state of operations (and supply chain) management research. In it, the author emphasizes that research should address real problems and offer solutions that practitioners can implement. The author suggests ways to bridge the gap between academia and practice: engaging with practitioners, site visits, working as a practitioner, and even forming consulting teams of practitioners. But making research relevant is not enough. Scholars must also ensure that their findings reach the right audience. The article calls on academic institutions – from journals to doctoral programs – to prioritize relevance alongside rigor.
Toffel, M.W. (2016). Enhancing the Practical Relevance of Research. Production and Operations Management, 25(9), 1493-1505. https://doi.org/10.1111/poms.12558
Integrating Generative AI Into SCM Research
The emergence of generative AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT) presents unique challenges to the academic research community. Many researchers are unsure how and when to report their use of such tools, and some even suggest that ChatGPT should be credited as a co-author. An enlightening editorial was recently published (Spanjol & Noble, 2023: Engaging With Generative Artificial Intelligence Technologies in Innovation Management Research—Some Answers and More Questions). The authors shed light on the issue through a survey of the Editorial Review Board members and Associate Editors of the Journal of Product Innovation Management. They conclude that a large majority of respondents are against crediting AI tools as co-authors. In addition, a large majority supports a policy requiring full disclosure of ChatGPT use in journal submissions. Although not written for the SCM research community, the suggestions contained in this editorial effectively transfer and provide much-needed guidance on the nuanced integration of AI tools into academic research.
Spanjol, J., & Noble, C.H. (2023). From the Editors: Engaging With Generative Artificial Intelligence Technologies in Innovation Management Research—Some Answers and More Questions. Journal of Product Innovation Management. 40 (4), 383–390. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpim.12689
Circular Supply Chain Transformation
We have just released a new report, entitled Circular Supply Chain Transformation: Challenges, Opportunities, and Trade-Offs for Circular Smartphones and Computers. It highlights the importance, opportunities, and potential trade-offs associated with circular supply chains for electronic devices in a way that makes it easier for decision makers to understand and navigate the circular transformation. Importantly, the report emphasizes that everyone – from manufacturers and purchasers to distributors, recyclers, and policy makers – has a role to play in the transformation toward circular devices, and that it is possible to implement many of these circular initiatives in a way that reduces the environmental, social, and economic costs of electronic devices. By providing concrete examples and societal reflections, the report serves as a foundation and guide for decision-makers who want to reduce the negative impact of their electronic devices. The report is a result of the Reimagining Supply Chains Initiative – a collaborative research effort between Copenhagen Business School, Nordakademie, and Nordakademie Foundation.
JSCM Paper Development Workshop in Copenhagen
The Journal of Supply Chain Management is conducting a paper development workshop (May 25–26) wherein participants may submit a working paper to obtain constructive feedback. The workshop shall provide training in crucial areas that are essential for publication in a premier academic journal, help participants to develop their working papers into mature papers that are ready for submission, and offer networking opportunities. The workshop will be hosted by Andreas Wieland, Co-Editor-in-Chief of JSCM. To apply for the event, send an abstract (max. 750 words) of your working paper by April 9. Acceptance of the abstract is a prerequisite for registration. The workshop is restricted to a maximum of 20 participants. The registration fee for this event is DKK 1000 (ca. € 135) and includes coffee, lunch, and a joint dinner on Thursday. After registration and prior to the event, participants are expected to share their working papers (max. 10,000 words) with their peers and prepare written feedback on three other papers. After the workshop, the most promising papers of the participants will be invited for submission to JSCM. For more information download our workshop flyer: JSCM Paper Development Workshop (PDF)
Thinking Differently About Supply Chain Resilience
Today I would like to introduce you to our new article entitled Thinking Differently About Supply Chain Resilience: What We Can Learn From Social-Ecological Systems Thinking, which is the result of an exciting collaboration with Mark Stevenson, Steven A. Melnyk, Simin Davoudi, and Lisen Schultz. We argue that the supply chain resilience literature should be expanded to include insights from the social-ecological systems literature. Five practical examples of disruptive events are used to demonstrate how current theoretical lenses fail to capture the complexity of supply chain resilience. The article presents three manifestations of resilience (persistence, adaptation, and transformation) and seven principles of resilience thinking that can be applied to supply chains. We believe that a social-ecological interpretation of supply chains offers many new avenues for research, which may rely on the use of innovative research methods to advance our understanding of supply chain resilience. Our article has been published in the International Journal of Operations & Production Management.
Wieland, A., Stevenson, M., Melnyk, S.A., Davoudi, S., & Schultz, L. (2023). Thinking Differently About Supply Chain Resilience: What We Can Learn From Social-Ecological Systems Thinking, International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 43(1), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOPM-10-2022-0645
A Brief Introduction to Grammarly and Deepl Write
As the recent debate about ChatGPT has shown, artificial intelligence tools are advancing rapidly. Today, I would like to introduce two AI tools that can be used to improve the language of academic texts. The first tool, Grammarly, can be integrated into programs like Word and suggests improvements, both in terms of errors and style. Grammarly has already found a large following among academic writers. The second tool is called Deepl Write and is currently in beta. It allows users to type text into an input field and get an improved text back. I tested this tool today by using it to improve the text of this blog post. While such tools may not be perfect, I believe they can help increase participation in SCM research by non-native speakers and those who cannot afford expensive proofreading services. The development is moving fast and I am excited to see what comes next.
