Institutional antecedents to research productivity in operations: the US perspective

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the institutional factors that affect the productivity of individuals in the field of operations.

Design/methodology/approach

This study identifies a sample of graduates from PhD programs in operations and utilizes a partial least squares analysis to examine the effect of academic origin, academic affiliation, and advisor productivity on each individual's research productivity.

Findings

The results of the analysis indicate that the productivity of an individual is directly influenced by the aggregate prestige of the institutions where the individual was employed during article publication and indirectly influenced by the prestige of the institution where the individual received the terminal degree. Additionally, differences were found between groups when the sample was divided by focus (operations management (OM) versus operations research (OR). The OM model held the same relationships as the combined model, while the OR model included significant direct effects of academic origin and indirect effects of the advisor's productivity on the individual's productivity.

Originality/value

This research is the first to fully evaluate the institutional antecedents to research productivity of individuals in operations. In doing so, valuable insights are gained as to how to facilitate the success of researchers in operations. Additionally, factors are highlighted that should be considered by institutions looking at hiring freshly minted PhDs. Finally, these results can benefit practitioners when considering working with academics as a source of emerging information or consulting.

Citation

Smith, J.S., Fox, G.L., “Sunny” Park, S. and Lee, L. (2008), "Institutional antecedents to research productivity in operations: the US perspective", International Journal of Operations & Production Management, Vol. 28 No. 1, pp. 7-26. https://doi.org/10.1108/01443570810841086