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Due to the complexity of digital services, companies are increasingly forced to offer their services “in permanent beta”, requiring continuous fine-tuning and updating. Complexity makes it extremely difficult to predict when and where the next service disruption will occur. The authors examine what this means for performance measurement in digital service supply chains.

The authors use a mixed-method research design that combines a longitudinal case study of a European digital TV service provider and a system dynamics simulation analysis of that service provider's digital service supply chain.

With increased levels of complexity, traditional performance measurement methods, focused on detection of software bugs before release, become fragile or futile. The authors find that monitoring the performance of the service after release, with fast mitigation when service incidents are discovered, appears to be superior. This involves organizational change when traditional methods, like quality assurance, become less important.

The performance of digital services needs to be monitored by combining automated data collection about the status of the service with data interpretation using human expertise. Investing in human expertise is equally important as investing in automated processes.

The authors draw on unique empirical data collected from a digital service provider's struggle with performance measurement of its service over a period of nine years. The authors use simulations to show the impact of complexity on staff allocation.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate inter-organizational designs for care–cure conditions in which low-risk patients are cared for in specialized care organizations and high-risk patients are cared for in specialized cure organizations. Performance impacts of increasing levels of integration between these organizations are analyzed.

Mixed methods were used in Dutch perinatal care: analysis of archival data, clinical research and system dynamics simulation modeling.

Inter-organizational design has an effect on inter-organizational dynamics such as collaboration and trust, and also on the operational aspects such as patient flows through the system. Solutions are found in integrating care and cure organizations. However, not all levels of integrated designs perform better than a design based on organizational separation of care and cure.

A clear split between midwifery practices (care) and obstetric departments (cure) will not work since all pregnant women need both care and cure. Having midwifery practices only works well when there are high levels of collaboration and trust with obstetric departments in hospitals. Integrated care designs are likely to exhibit superior performance. However, these designs will have an adverse effect on organizations that are not part of this integration, since integrating only a subset of organizations will feed distrust, low collaboration and hence low performance.

The originality of this research is derived from its multi-method approach. Archival data and clinical research revealed the dynamic relations between organizations. The caveat of some integrated care models was found through simulation.

Quantitative modelling seems admirably suited to help managers in their strategic decision making on operations management issues, but in practice models are rarely used for this purpose. Investigates the reasons why, based on a detailed cross‐case analysis of six cases of modelling‐supported strategic decision making. In several of these cases, effective strategic decision making was achieved despite unfavourable technical contingencies, such as a lack of quantitative data, or low tangibility of the issue at stake. This suggests that such technical conditions cannot be crucial for effective model‐based support. However, no case was found where good overall results were achieved under adverse organizational conditions, such as low quality of communication between stakeholders during the modelling/decision‐making process and low ownership with these stakeholders for the resulting model and its implications. This suggests that such organizational contingencies are indeed crucial for effective model‐based support. The modelling method described achieved good communication and ownership by operating in a process‐oriented consulting mode, where client participation in group model‐building sessions played a central role.

The purpose of this paper is to explore whether and how the bullwhip effect, as found in product supply chains, might also manifest itself in services, as well as what policies can be successful for mitigating it.

A combination of analytic methods was used – inductive case analysis and analysis of data from two service supply chains in the telecom industry.

Empirical evidence from two cases was examined and provides support for the presence of a service bullwhip effect. Quantitative and qualitative case data were used to explore how this effect manifests itself in services, the distinctive drivers of the bullwhip effect in services, and the managerial actions that can either trigger or mitigate these bullwhip effects. In total, eight propositions are developed and three types of characteristics that potentially make the bullwhip effect worse in services than in manufacturing are identified: the destabilizing effects of manual rework in otherwise automated service processes; the omission of accurate and timely data on rework volumes upstream in the chain, pointing at future bullwhip effects downstream; and the lack of a supply‐chain mindset within the various departments jointly responsible for delivering the service, leading to longer delays in reacting to service bullwhips as they develop over time.

The research is based on two cases within a single industry, limiting generalizability. The propositions developed need testing in a wider set of contexts, including hybrid service and product supply chains.

The implications of this research can help organizations prevent or reduce the negative impact of planned and unplanned fluctuations in their service supply chains.

This paper explores an area that has been well researched in manufacturing, but not in services, and it contributes to both the theory and practice of service supply chains.

This chapter reports on an action research case study of integrated obstetric care in the Netherlands. Efficient and patient-friendly patient flows through integrated care networks are of major societal importance. How to design and develop such interorganizational patient flows is still a nascent research area, especially when dealing with a large number (n>3) of stakeholders. We have shown that a modification of an existing method to support interorganizational collaboration by system dynamics-based group model building (GMB) (the Renga method, Akkermans, 2001) may be effective in achieving such collaboration.

Describes a case study in which a consultancy method based on participative business modelling was used to support strategic decision making in the field of operations. In this case study the Dutch client company faced serious logical and financial problems after an attempt to attain competitive advantage through drastic improvement of its delivery speed. The modelling project produced several valuable insights which have resulted in a better logistical performance at lower cost. The participative approach taken in the project has made implementation of the recommendations resulting from the project easier. It has also resulted in a better quality of systems thinking and a better understanding of the operations system throughout the company — in short, in organizational learning. This case study has been conducted within a research project aimed at the development of modelling oriented consultancy method to support strategic decision making in operations. This consultancy method is called Participative Business Modelling (PBM). Several observations made in this case study with respect to the development of this consultancy method are discussed.

An increasing number of companies claim to pursue international supply chain management (ISCM), but the empirical evidence of successful implementation programs is still scarce. This paper aims to contribute to theory‐building in this area by presenting an exploratory causal model of goals, barriers, and enablers on the road towards effective ISCM. The model was established in a workshop with a panel of content matter experts. The results point at a disturbingly gloomy picture of vicious cycles frustrating the implementation of effective ISCM strategies. Fortunately, it appears that it is possible to apply the same generic mechanisms to create a virtuous cycle, for instance by promoting cross‐functional careers and by actively responding to demanding customer needs. The challenge ahead is to test the model’s content and validity.

States that determining the configuration of a company’s facilities has become a complex issue in today’s globalizing business environment. Existing allocation models often fail to address developments over time and “soft” issues. Therefore, an existing design method to support decision making on strategic allocation issues was extended with a system dynamics component. This extension allows decision makers to capture the inherent dynamics of allocation decisions. In addition, it becomes possible to incorporate “soft” variables in predominantly quantitative models. Applies the extended design method in a case study involving a relocation problem of a mid‐sized company in the Dutch metal working industry. Demonstrates the value of this method in terms of managerial decision support, not only for this specific problem, but also for future strategic allocation issues.

Introduces the participative business modelling method (PBM), a management consulting method based on a synergetic mix of (system dynamics) modelling, group knowledge elicitation techniques and a process consultation attitude. PBM is a method well‐suited to support managers in their strategic decision‐making processes, in particular in the field of operations management, because it provides support in dealing with both the technical and organizational complexities of strategic decision making. Presents a case study where PBM was used to assist in the development of a European logistics strategy for an American pharmaceutical firm setting up operations in Europe. Discusses findings from the analysis of the evaluation interviews with project participants, which contain valuable lessons, not just for the PBM method itself, but also for the theory of strategic decision making that lies at the basis of the PBM method.

This paper aims to explore the relationship between aspects of aesthetics and the performance of organizations. It outlines a research agenda for studying the impact of aesthetic factors upon organizational design and change.

In the paper, a set of seven propositions is developed to address various aspects of organizational performance that are influenced by beauty in organizations. These propositions are based on a distinction between the concepts process aesthetics, product aesthetics and aesthetic sensibility.

The hypotheses suggest that organizational performance might be enhanced by the beauty of products and services, and indirectly by the aesthetics of organizational work processes, organizational structures, the personal well‐being of employees and organizational designers with a high degree of aesthetic sensibility.

The hypothesis in this paper should be tested by future researchers.

The paper might enhance the awareness of practitioners of the practical value of aesthetics

The paper adds to the new field of organizational aesthetics a performance‐oriented approach based on a design perspective.