Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to highlight the potential of a qualitative middle-range research approach to contribute to the advancement of operations management (OM) field. Design/methodology/approach -To better signify such contribution, it takes insight from Merton's (1968) notion of middle-range theory as a means to create pathways of propositions that link substantive concepts and practices of OM in both context-specific and context-free operational environments. Findings: The paper brings to the fore the argument that achieving the primary objective of filling the "theory-methods" void in OM can be achieved through adoption of a qualitative middle-range approach. Originality/value: The originality of this paper hinges on the premise that theory-oriented qualitative field research that is able to incorporate experiences of different stakeholders of the OM intervention is highly likely to benefit OM theory advancement as well as OM practice.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1003-1027 |
| Number of pages | 25 |
| Journal | International Journal of Operations and Production Management |
| Volume | 34 |
| Issue number | 8 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Jul 2014 |
Keywords
- Literature review
- Methodology for operations management
- Middle-range theory
- Qualitative research