Abstract
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the current focus of supply chain management (SCM) research; it considers field level and societal constraints and consequently the potential for change. It details the underlying assumptions in the field, considering the dominant paradigms and stakeholders, and how this has shaped the research we have engaged in as a community of scholars.Design/methodology/approachThis is a reflective inquiry that seeks to deconstruct the dominant discourses and paradigms in SCM. It offers alternative avenues of inquiry to “traditional” research, considering how different questions, perspectives and approaches might yield different learning for the field. offering alternative avenues to traditional research.FindingsThis is a call for collective action, for solidarity, for a re-imagining of what research in SCM could look like. Research activism is challenging and potentially risky but necessary for the research community to engage in, particularly in light of the global societal grand challenges. Change can take place in the SCM field through collective action and solidarity. Three levels of activism are explored here – acting to solve the grand challenges, acting to change the field and acting as individuals.Originality/valueThis is a “speak-out” piece, which embraces and encourages reflexivity, new methods of doing and writing research as well as different perspectives, and especially a consideration for context and multiple players in the supply chain. The authors contend that it is urgent to re-appropriate our own agency as SCM researchers.
Highlights
This essay explores the current focus of supply chain management (SCM) research, it considers field level and societal constraints and the potential for change
We invite reflection upon the following questions: Have we become a product of our field? Are we producing and reproducing the dominant discourses, paradigms, research topics? Can we interrogate the performative nature of research? What are the main definitions, themes and discursive practices that have shaped our field? Have we embraced our silos? Could we do more? We call for reflection on our own role as researchers, our philosophy, our politics, our purpose
1.2 The context of SCM research: articulating the challenges Our challenge to the accepted norms of the field and our call for a re-embedding of the researchers, as normative agents, into the research practices stems from the recognition of the urgency of the environmental and socio-political context in which we find ourselves as SCM researchers
Summary
This essay explores the current focus of supply chain management (SCM) research, it considers field level and societal constraints and the potential for change. We detail the underlying assumptions in our field, consider the dominant paradigms and stakeholders, and how this has shaped the research we engage in. We call for reflection on our own role as researchers, our philosophy, our politics, our purpose. Do we justify our work based on its impact in the academic community alone? If supply chains can play a central role in transitioning to more socially equitable societies (Mohrman and Worley, 2010), how can the research community encourage this transition?. Research activism does not entail disregarding or devaluing the research we have already engaged with, are currently exploring, or creating, but rather that we consider the
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