Pär Åhlström

Manufacturing firms increasingly face pressure to integrate sustainability practices into their operations, yet research shows mixed findings regarding the performance implications of such integration. We argue that these inconsistent results stem from insufficient attention to how sustainability practices are positioned within firms’ operations, as a network of practices- specifically whether they function as core or peripheral practices. Drawing on organization theory and the practice-based view, we analyze longitudinal data from 65 U.S.-based public manufacturing firms (910 firm-year observations) from 2009 to 2022 to examine: (1) how sustainability practices transition between core and peripheral positions over time, and (2) how this positioning affects operational performance. Our findings reveal significant dynamism in how sustainability practices are positioned within firms’ operations networks, with practices shifting between core and peripheral positions rather than maintaining fixed positioning. Moreover, while core sustainability practices consistently drive positive performance outcomes through enhanced operational efficiency, peripheral practices show negative performance effects, likely due to implementation challenges and resource conflicts. Contrary to expectations, we find no evidence that peripheral practices complement core practices to enhance performance. These results advance the understanding of how the positioning of sustainability practices within operations’ network shape their performance implications while offering practical guidance for managers on effectively integrating them into their operations.

Drawing on the 'dynamic capabilities' perspective, this study empirically investigates whether, or not, and how agile manufacturing contributes to sustainable business performance, including economic, environmental, and social performance. Building on the notion that dynamic capabilities indirectly improve organisational performance through modifying a firm's resources/processes, we argue that agile manufacturing treated as a dynamic capability requires transformation to result in sustainable business performance. Therefore, we hypothesise the mediating effects of two transformational capabilities, namely internal learning, and reconfiguration capabilities, on the agile manufacturing-sustainable business performance relationship. Partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was employed to explore the validity of the conceptual model and examine the hypotheses using survey data from 99 Italian manufacturers firms. The results show that internal learning fully mediates the relationship between agile manufacturing and economic performance and partially mediates the relationship between agile manufacturing and social performance. Also, the empirical findings indicate that reconfiguration fully mediates the relationship between agile manufacturing and economic/environmental performance and partially mediates the agile manufacturing-social performance relationship. Overall, both transformational capabilities are necessary to maximise the effects of agile manufacturing on sustainable performance.

Motivated by inconclusive findings on the sustainability-performance relationship, this study focuses on the question of whether sustainability should be viewed as a financial burden or a firm performance catalyst. More specifically, this study aims to explore the crucial yet under-examined role of quality management in the sustainability-performance relationship. However, unlike previous studies that narrow their focus to only a subset of quality management practices subsumed under one banner, such as TQM or lean, this research advocates for the integration of multiple quality management practices to cultivate “quality management diligence”, namely, a rigorous and disciplined mindset to ensure that quality is integrated into every facet of a firm. Drawing on a panel of 1876 European firms with 16,901 firm-year observations over the period of 2003-2023, panel data regression is employed to empirically examine the effect of quality management diligence on sustainability and their subsequent impacts on firm performance. The empirical findings indicate a positive relationship between quality management diligence and the adoption of environmental/social sustainability practices and between the adoption of environmental/social sustainability practices and firm performance. Our results also confirm the mediating role of sustainability in the relationship between quality management diligence and firm performance.

Longitudinal field studies are in-depth studies of change processes. They are case studies studying a phenomenon over time and often involve real-time studies of organizational phenomena, with the researcher being present in the organization. Research questions often concern how organizational change emerge, develop, grow, or terminate over time. Before entering the field, a framework for data gathering is critical. Longitudinal field researchers rely heavily on participant observation. To avoid going native, the researcher regularly withdraws from the field back to the academic environment. Analysing longitudinal field data is a challenging task due to the large amounts of data. Central to data analysis is data reduction. It starts with the writing of a narrative of the process. The narrative is divided into basic units of information, using explicit decision rules. The third step is to code incidents. The incidents are finally sorted and recoded. Generation of theory starts while the researcher is still in the field. The starting point for building theory is the incidents, but the interest is in the mechanisms underlying them. The analysis requires identifying sequences and patterns in the events. The theory developed needs to be constantly compared with existing theory.

This chapter concerns the research process - the sequence of activities that takes you from the start of a research project to publication. The focus is on a set of activities taking place in the early parts of the research process, before data are collected and analysed. The activities are generic and apply to all the different research approaches described in the remainder of the book. The first activity regards the importance of contributing to knowledge. To properly understand the research process, an understanding of its goal is necessary, which is to contribute to existing knowledge. The second activity is choosing a research topic, as any contribution to knowledge starts with finding a suitable research topic. The third activity is the literature review and various ways of using and misusing literature. The fourth activity is developing research questions, which are a fundamentally important part of any research process. The final activity regards some key considerations in choosing a research approach. In this the final part of the chapter three considerations in selecting a research approach are discussed: the achievement of methodological fit, the impact of the researcher's philosophical position and practical considerations.

PurposeLean remains popular in a wide range of private and public sectors and continues to attract a significant amount of research. However, most of this research is not grounded in theory. This paper presents and discusses different expert viewpoints on the role of theory in lean research and practice and provides guidelines for future research. Design/methodology/approach Seven experienced lean authors independently provide their views to the question "is Lean a theory?" before Rachna Shah summarizes the viewpoints and provides a holistic outlook for lean research. FindingsAuthors agree, disagree and sometimes agree to disagree. However, a close look reveals agreement on several key points. The paper concludes that Lean is not a theory but has plenty of theoretical underpinnings. Many lean-related theories provide promising opportunities for future research. Originality/value As researchers, we are asked to justify our research drawing on "theory," but what does that mean for a practice-driven phenomenon such as lean? This paper provides answers and directions for future research.

From its manufacturing origin, the lean concept has been widely disseminated into services, including public services. The term “lean service” first appeared in Bowen and Youngdahl (1998) to describe how the tools and principles being derived in a manufacturing setting were applicable in a service context. There has since been an increase in the interest in lean service both in practice and in literature, with contributions now being published in top operations management journals (e.g., LaGanga, 2011).

The practice of innovation management is developing fast. As new concepts emerge, exploratory studies are needed and case study research is often appropriate. To investigate the usage and quality of case study research in innovation management, all of the articles published in five top journals over 20 years (1997–2016) were reviewed. Case study research accounted for 818 of the published articles in this period (12%) and an evaluation template (termed case study evaluation template: CASET) was developed to objectively assess these articles against 10 quality criteria. It was found that the quality of case study research has often been low, although it has improved over time. Similarly, quality was found to fluctuate both within and between the different innovation journals. This indicates that the peer review process for case study research is not as robust as it should be. The assessment of individual articles using the evaluation template found significant deficiencies. Many articles: did not justify why case study research was appropriate; did not apply theoretical sampling criteria; were not transparent on how conclusions were drawn from the data; did not consider validity and reliability adequately; and did not go beyond description in their interpretation. However, the evaluation template also identified 23 “exemplary studies,” which clearly addressed nearly every criterion. Such exemplary studies provide innovation management researchers with “benchmark” reading, which can help shape their own research. This article makes four contributions to the innovation management discipline. First, the evaluation template and exemplary studies can help innovation researchers improve the quality of their case study research. Second, clear recommendations are given for how reviewers can use the template to make the peer review process more consistent and robust. Third, journal editors are encouraged to consider the implications of the findings for their particular journal. Fourth, the article should stimulate a long overdue debate on methodology in innovation management research, including the use of case study research. 

Purpose Doctoral education (DE) is central to the development and application of operations management (OM) thinking. The European Doctoral Educational Network (EDEN) seminar on research methodology in OM is a structured initiative developed in 1999 by European Operations Management Association (EurOMA) and European Institute for Advanced Studies in Management (EIASM). This intensive five-day seminar has run annually since and, to date, has engaged 486 students. The purpose of this paper is to ask: what role has the OM EDEN seminar played in the formation and academic career development of doctoral researchers, and how has it contributed to the development of EurOMA as a community of practice? Design/methodology/approach The authors developed a retrospective case on the design, launch and growth of the OM EDEN seminar employing two data gathering methods (collecting secondary and archival data, and a survey of four selected seminar participants) and a social network analysis. Findings The EDEN seminar is an effective educational intervention in developing doctoral researchers and their subsequent academic careers. The seminar has also contributed to EurOMA as a community of practice, bringing faculty together to teach, write and publish leading edge contributions in research methods for OM. Research limitations/implications The case is focused on the OM EDEN seminar only, within which the survey is limited to four of the early participants. While another set of participants might respond differently in detail, the authors' expectation is that participant perception of the role of the seminar would not change. The paper provides an exemplar for European academic associations to guide how they might explore the formation and academic career development of doctoral candidates within a community of practice. Practical implications The seminar merits the ongoing support of EurOMA and EIASM, not just in educating doctoral students but also in bringing faculty together to publish leading edge contributions to the OM domain. Social implications The paper draws on the areas of student formation, academic career development and communities of practice to illustrate the role played by the OM EDEN seminar. Originality/value This paper is the first description, analysis and reflection on the role played by the OM EDEN seminar.