Toward a Comprehensive OSCM Research Methodology: The Role of Design Science

Abstract

Research in Operations and Supply Chain Management (OSCM) field is widespread and applied to various sectors of industry and services. Despite its benefits, the diversity of the worldviews of OSCM research applications and the preferences regarding the choice of methodologies by the researchers sometimes cause unnecessary complexities in converging these efforts toward advancing theory and practice. It has been argued that the application of multi-methods could facilitate obtaining a common ground through which OSCM researchers could make more effective and robust contributions in binding theory and practice. There is, however, a lack of a unifying research methodology so that OSCM research could effectively link between theory and practice and move toward more coherence of research in the OSCM field. In this article, we introduce the application of design science research methodology and the use of multi-methods approach in this methodology to draw a road map for more coherent future research attempts in the domain of OSCM. As an example, the behavioral causes of the bullwhip effect are examined and illustration is made on how the dispersed but growing research efforts in this area could be aligned into drawing a behavioral theory of the ordering preferences of decision makers in supply chains and in organizations.