“Managing the “new normal”: the future of operations and supply chain management in unprecedented times”

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to discuss the theme of managing operations and supply chains in the so-called “new normal”. It reflects the themes emerging from recent research and how these might be conceptualized.

Design/methodology/approach

The article reviews research presented at the EurOMA 2021 conference and eight papers subsequently developed into full journal papers. It considers conceptual themes contained in these papers and how they reflect recent turbulent events in the external business environment.

Findings

The article notes the themes of resilience in relation to the Covid-19 pandemic, environmental sustainability, especially climate change and the Sustainable Development Goals, and the significance of digital technologies. Additional themes relating to inter-organizational relationships, complexity and manager cognition are also considered. In order to provide useful insights for future disruptions, general concepts on epistemology and responsiveness are described.

Originality/value

The article discusses general principles across cutting-edge research in operations and supply chain management, to support improved performance to add economic and social value.

Citation

Alexander, A., Blome, C., Schleper, M.C. and Roscoe, S. (2022), "“Managing the “new normal”: the future of operations and supply chain management in unprecedented times”", International Journal of Operations & Production Management, Vol. 42 No. 8, pp. 1061-1076. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOPM-06-2022-0367