Working with Practitioners in Operations Management

• 成果类型: Article; Early Access
• 署名作者: Si, Haijian; Li, Meng; Loch, Christoph H.
• 署名单位: University of Cambridge; University of Houston System; University of Houston; University of Navarra; IESE Business School
• 刊物名称: M&SOM-MANUFACTURING & SERVICE OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT
• ISSN/ISSBN: 1523-4614
• DOI: 10.1287/msom.2025.0147
• 发表日期: 2025
• 关键词: practitioner collaboration; management practice; research methods; responsible research

摘要

Problem definition: Collaborations between researchers and practitioners in operations management are becoming more common, and they can bridge the gap between theory and real-world application. This paper explores the process of managing such collaborations, emphasizing the importance of mutual trust, stakeholder management, and the alignment of academic rigor with practical value. Methodology/results: Drawing on experience and previous operations management literature, the study describes the operational steps of working with practitioners. It outlines a five-phase framework that can guide successful practitioner collaboration research: relationship building, stakeholder management, study design, study implementation, and poststudy management. The framework illustrates how rigorous research methods can be embedded in partner relationships that are governed by trust and ethical sensitivity, the success of which may sustain long-term academic-practitioner collaborations. Managerial implications: This paper offers a five-step road map for academics to undertake collaborations with practitioners that can generate theoretically sound as well as impactful research outcomes.