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Purpose Operations and supply chain management (OSCM) is a theoretically and philosophically fragmented field. Researchers must consider how they use theory and explain empirical phenomena. This paper aims to use critical realism to introduce more coherence into this fragmented field. Design/methodology/approach This paper draws on existing critical realism and abduction literature and this study uses a research process from two PhD projects to investigate critical realism’s role in OSCM research. This paper uses a narrative approach to collect data over a long timeframe, capturing data not commonly used in OSCM research. Findings Research that struggles to bridge the gap between theory and data benefits from critical realism, which provides a philosophy and associated methods to identify a suitable theory and guide researchers when they encounter obstacles. While clear steps often outline established methods, researchers are sometimes unable to identify when their research process has reached an obstacle. This paper argues that such obstacles can be treated as “crossroads” offering new research opportunities when correctly evaluated and addressed. Research limitations/implications Importantly, researchers should be able to reflect upon their own research processes, enabling a better understanding of these processes and the discovery of new research directions. Researchers can use critical realism, abduction and systematic combining to bridge the divide between theory and data in OSCM. Originality/value This paper contributes to the field’s discussion regarding the roles of critical realism and abduction, synthesizing multiple academic sources, highlighting critical realism’s importance and providing a novel means of addressing difficulties in navigating an eclectic research area. This paper offers a philosophical alternate to the field, which is often instead considered from a positivistic standpoint. The paper is valuable to researchers in the OSCM field, who can use the research to improve their selection of data and theories, as well as their understanding of their own research processes.

Purpose -This study aims to empirically investigate the role of learning for suppliers of individualized customizations from a communication perspective.Design/methodology/approach -Five companies providing individualized customizations are investigated through an in-depth qualitative approach. The empirical material is based on data from five presentations in one workshop and seven interviews.Findings -Four important categories of communication processes between suppliers and customers that stimulate learning were identified: the identification and confirmation of existing knowledge, the identification of knowledge gaps and the creation of new knowledge, the definition of relations and procedures and evaluation and learning.Practical implications -These findings can help suppliers of individualized customizations become aware of the important role of organizational learning in their day-to-day operations and the value of improving as a learning organization.Originality/value -This cross-disciplinary study brings together organizational learning and customization research. It is a study that focuses on communication in customization tasks as a base for learning.

The human perspective and the flow perspective of businesses represent two areas of competence that study similar systems but with different frame of references. The human perspective involves ambidextrous learning that concerns how knowledge is developed and used for different purposes by individuals or groups of individuals. The development of knowledge for new situations is referred to as 'exploration', while 'exploitation' refers to execution in known and stable contexts. Furthermore, decoupling thinking is important from a flow perspective and concerns how a value-delivery package is created. This type of thinking decouples the flow perspective into segments with different characteristics that are significant for process management. The examples presented in this paper are distinctive drivers of flow in terms of speculation or commitment, and the level of customisation. By combining these two perspectives, a set of 15 scenarios is identified for further research on ambidextrous learning in a decoupling thinking context.