Operations Management (OM) is a multi-faceted blend of myriad academic andpractical disciplines – from engineering and economics via mathematics and marketing, to systems and psychology. To capture the state of the art, the bookreviews contemporary and classic scholarship in one of the oldest business and management disciplines. To offer the reader a thought-provoking point of entry into the selected sources, the book curates its content as an imaginary exhibit, eachchapter a thematic OM ‘gallery’ (process; planning and control; people; strategy and measurement; technology) introduced by a description of some extraordinary artefacts, paintings, sculptures and architecture.
The content has been curated around three principles intended to benefit the casual reader and both new and established OM scholars. First, it incorporates works that build on, or help to distinguish, fundamental tenets from more transitory fads. Second, the text makes significant efforts to try and balance the gravitational pull of the factory, (even though this may not offer an accurate representation of the majority of the field) and third, to try to keep managerial rather than technical/ analytical concerns to the fore.
This concise book provides a useful overview of current and classic OM research. Written by a leading authority, it is intended to be a valuable and engaging resource for both students and scholars of business.
Foreword
1. Introduction
2. Process
3. Planning and control
4. People
5. Strategy and measurement
6. Technology
7. The future: Gesamtkunstwerk or just more collage?
Index
Biography
Michael A. Lewis is Professor of Operations and Supply Management at the University of Bath. He is the author of numerous articles and books.
'Collating the "state of the art" for a diverse field like OM, that has always combined a wide range of social science and engineering scholarship, is a really challenging task. This engaging book succeeds by adopting a novel perspective inspired by the process of curation in the visual arts. The reader is engaged in detailed discussion of the past, present, and potential future of OM research though a series of chapters, each framed by analogous reflections on some extraordinary artistic masterpieces.' — Professor Matthias Holweg, American Standard Companies Professor of Operations Management, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, UK
'Regardless of whether you are new PhD student or experienced faculty member, or just someone who wants to get to grips with where the field of Operations Management "is at", I strongly recommend you read Michael Lewis’ new text as it paints a stimulating picture of the "state of the art".' — Professor Andy Neely, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Enterprise and Business Relations, University of Cambridge, UK
