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Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to present insights into operations strategy (OS) in practice. It outlines a conceptualization and model of OS processes and, based on findings from an in-depth and longitudinal case study, contributes to further development of extant OS models and methods which presently mainly focus on OS content, as distinct from process issues. Design/methodology/approach -The methodology combines action research and a longitudinal single site case study of OS processes in practice. Findings -The paper conceptualises an OS process as: events of dialogue and action; taking place in five dimensions of change -technical-rational, cultural, political, project management, and facilitation; and typically unfolding as a sequential and parallel, ordered and disordered, planned and emergent as well as top-down and bottom-up process. The proposed OS conceptualization provides a useful tool for describing and analyzing real-time OS processes unfolding in practice.Research limitations/implications -The research is based on a single case, which limits the generalizability of the findings. Practical implications -The findings suggest that, in order to obtain successful outcomes for an OS process in practice, change agents may need to moderate their outcome ambitions, manage process dimensions and agendas in a situational manner, balance inherent process paradoxes, strive at bridging both language and reality, as well as mobilizing key stakeholders, especially middle managers, throughout the process. Originality/value -The paper proposes a novel conceptualization of the OS process derived from the literature in relevant areas and findings obtained through longitudinal action research of an OS formulation and implementation process.

This article analyses enterprise resource planning (ERP) as a tool for realising business process reengineering (BPR) in manufacturing. It combines theories from organisational sociology and management with technology‐analysis. Change is viewed as involving choice and coalition building. The case studies cover 30 implementations of ERP with different types of change. Two cases of the variant labelled “BPR followed by ERP” are focused on. The change proceeds as a co‐operation between enterprises, consultants and IT‐suppliers. In the first case, a superficial management change programme of BPR and ERP emerges into a more elaborate change program, which was then relatively successfully realised. The other case is a multi‐front exercise for the management coalition. The BPR strategy was poorly supported, and restated the long term split between manufacturing and sales. The two cases exhibit different experiences, but they underpin that process integration cannot be taken for granted when implementing BPR and ERP.

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems and teamworking both entail significant changes to work on the shopfloor. However, a study of 24 Danish manufacturing enterprises found both change programs were rarely explicitly tuned to each other, with little direct interaction in a majority of cases. A case study shows the importance of, and the micropolitical difficulties involved in getting companies to configure ERP-systems to support teamworking.