Operations Advisory Group (OAG) Panel K. K. Sinha POMS 2006, Boston

1. Operations Advisory Group (OAG) Panel K. K. Sinha POMS 2006, Boston

2. OAG Panel Unique characteristics of industry-academia collaborative projects • Meeting of minds, recognition of complementary competencies • Pressing issues • Cutting edge issues • Rigorous as well as relevant – the proverbial questions: “so what” and “who cares” are addressed • The collaborators/project partners tend to be • Academics who are problem driven researchers, • Practitioners who are closet intellectuals and/or progressive managers/thinkers

3. OAG Panel Factors contributing to the success of the projects • Clear expectations and clear understanding of the difference between research and consulting projects • Existence of trust and commitment between the project collaborators • An appreciation of each other’s priorities: academics need to value timeliness and deliverables; practitioners need to understand the need to get to the bottom of thing and are willing to be patient and willing to listen what may not be music to the ears. • Project collaborators enjoy the process of research as much or more than the outcomes. • Resource availability: People, time, and funds (in that order)

4. OAG Panel The opposites of the following: • Clear expectations and clear understanding of the difference between research and consulting projects • Existence of trust and commitment between the project collaborators • An appreciation of each other’s priorities: academics need to value timeliness and deliverables; practitioners need to understand the need to get to the bottom of thing and are willing to be patient and willing to listen what may not be music to the ears. • Project enjoy the process of research as much or more than the outcomes. • Resource availability AND • Sudden changes in the collaborating firm – such as the senior manager who sponsored the project left the company. Barriers to project success

5. OAG Panel On making POM research more attractive to practitioners Short-term • Easy search access: E.g., Industry key words Medium-term • Easy intellectual access: E.g., Readability – executive translation • Conduct an inventory of published articles and identify such industry sectors for which there is a critical mass of papers (say 10+); Thoughtfully sequence and collate the articles along with their executive translations and thoughtful introductions and conclusions, and publish monographs with titles such as “Advances in POM Research in ….. Industry.” Long term • Forge partnerships between POM and selected industry/trade associations of selected sectors in which there always appear to be a critical mass of published papers – Proactively commit to providing thought leadership for these sectors.

6. OAG Panel On Overcoming the “Most Stated Barriers” • Academia … theoretical; skeptical about the ability to solve real problems • Separate fact from fiction … e.g., INFORMS Edelman Award • POM – Commission industry focused special issues; Require not only theoretical and methodological rigor but also industrial relevance • Lack of company resources…. Conflicting priorities • Identify the closet intellectuals in a company and use them as the principal project contact/ champion ….. Good things happen thereafter • Focus on return-on-investment; company’s willingness to pay • Commit to executive education/training as the “return” • Significant effort to bring the academic up to speed ….academic’s lack of business/practical experience ….. Naïve value of academics • Choose the right academic who fits the bill • Reluctance to share information …. Confidentiality/Non-disclosure agreements

7. OAG Panel On Creating a Repository of Potential “Hot” Research Topics • Not only create but help to commission research on “hot” topics and communicate the research findings • Use Marketing Science Institute (MSI) as an institutional model • Launch special issues on targeted topics and industries: Decision Sciences special issue on health sector supply chain – examples of hot research topics: • - A data-driven analysis of EMR (electronic medical record) systems • - RFID adoption and implementation in the healthcare sector • - Globalization of the healthcare supply chain and medical tourism • - Development and delivery of personalized healthcare systems • - Regulatory and reimbursement considerations in supply chain management • - Managing product recalls and reverse logistics • - Avian flu pandemic and its implications for supply chain management • - Bio-security considerations in supply chain design • - A data-driven analysis of the consumer-driven healthcare initiative

8. OAG Panel On Increasing Practitioners’ Involvement • Identify and define POMS’s sustainable value proposition for practitioners: Make a commitment to: • Commission, conduct, document and disseminate research • Executive education and workshops • Use Marketing Science Institute (MSI) as an institutional model • If our marketing counterparts can do it, we too can do it? • Forge partnerships between POM and selected industry/trade associations of selected sectors in which there always appear to be a critical mass of published papers – Proactively commit to providing thought leadership for these sectors.

9. Research-Driven Courses and Workshops Research Education Course Projects; Student Practicum; Case Studies; Executive Education Programs Applications-Driven Research; Cross- Functional Research Collaboration OAG/POMS Commitment & Deliverables OAG/ POMS

10. Thank you