تئوری پردازی بیش از حد، فهم ناکافی

This essay and the following commentaries address the use of theory in operations management. While much is said about theory in the typical journal article, theory, as science defines it, is not at the center of much of our research. The discipline had fallen into some bad habits. This essay and its commentaries appeal for more attention to what theory can mean for our understanding of operations management.

Ten years ago, Morgan Swink and I published an article in JOM entitled “On Theory in Operations Management” (Schmenner and Swink, 1998). It was meant to counter the concerns of many at that time that operations management did not have theories of its own that could ground our discipline. Now, 10 years on, what is the status of theory in our field? Has it advanced? Are we using theory in productive ways to advance our understanding? How have our theories changed in response to empirical investigations? Which theories have been abandoned and which ones have been developed in their places? I am afraid that my responses to these questions do not ring with contentment. It is time to reassess the role of theory in operations management.