Considering connectivity in operations journals
International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management
ISSN: 1741-0401
Article publication date: 18 September 2009
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the coverage of identified topics that represent three key themes of change in management practice. These themes, focused on the new interconnected modern business operation, consist of: cross‐functional or process‐based working, supply networks, and systems thinking. The paper seeks to examine the coverage of these themes in operations journals as a proxy to determine how well the academic operations community is adapting to the interconnected business world.
Design/methodology/approach
Two separate lists compiled to rank the quality of operations journals (one based in the UK, the other in the USA) are used to structure a search for keywords representing the identified connectivity themes in the identified “top” leading operations journals to determine how well the different topics are covered. The term “operations” is intended to refer to the related specialities of both operations management and operations research.
Findings
Findings indicate overall very weak coverage of the three connectivity topics. Systems thinking was best represented. However, this representation was not in operations management journals but predominantly operations research sources. Both supply network and cross‐functional working were poorly represented as topics more generally. The implication of the findings is that the operations literature has yet to embrace key issues of connectivity and greater attention should therefore be paid to these areas to better inform business practice.
Originality/value
To the best of one's knowledge no such study of this type or breadth has been previously conducted.
Keywords
Citation
Piercy, N., Caldwell, N. and Rich, N. (2009), "Considering connectivity in operations journals", International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, Vol. 58 No. 7, pp. 607-631. https://doi.org/10.1108/17410400910989449
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2009, Emerald Group Publishing Limited