Behavioral Operations Management

Loch, Christoph H.; Wu, Yaozhong

doi:10.1561/0200000009

Cited by 128 publications

(87 citation statements)

References 152 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Finally, our results contribute also to the development of behavioral theory in operations (Boudreau et al 2003;Bendoly, Donohue and Schultz 2006;Loch and Wu 2007;Gino and Pisano 2008).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 54%

Specialization and Variety in Repetitive Tasks: Evidence from a Japanese Bank

Staats

Gino

2011

SSRN Journal

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Sustaining operational productivity in the completion of repetitive tasks is critical to many organizations' success. Yet research points to two different work-design-related strategies for accomplishing this goal: specialization to capture the benefits of repetition and variety (i.e., working on different tasks) to keep workers motivated and provide them opportunities to learn. In this paper, we investigate how these two strategies may bring different productivity benefits over time. For our empirical analyses, we use two and a half years of transaction data from a Japanese bank's home loan application-processing line. We find that over the course of a single day, specialization, as compared to variety, is related to improved worker productivity. However, when we examine workers' experience across a number of days, we find that variety helps improve worker productivity. Additionally, we show that part of this benefit results from workers' cumulative experience with changeovers. Our results highlight the need for organizations to transform specialization and variety into mutually reinforcing strategies rather than treating them as mutually exclusive. Overall, our paper identifies new ways to improve operational performance through the effective allocation of work. Specialization and Variety in Repetitive Tasks-1 - AbstractSustaining operational productivity in the completion of repetitive tasks is critical to many organizations' success. Yet research points to two different work-design related strategies for accomplishing this goal: specialization to capture the benefits of repetition or variety to keep workers motivated and allow them to learn. In this paper, we investigate how these two strategies may bring different benefits within the same day and across days. Additionally, we examine the impact of these strategies on both worker productivity and workers' likelihood of staying at a firm. For our empirical analyses, we use two and a half years of transaction data from a Japanese bank's home loan application processing line. We find that over the course of a single day, specialization, as compared to variety, is related to improved worker productivity. However, when we examine workers' experience across days we find that variety, or working on different tasks, helps improve worker productivity. We also find that workers with higher variety are more likely to stay at the firm. Our results identify new ways to improve operational performance through the effective allocation of work.

show abstract

“…Finally, our results contribute also to the development of behavioral theory in operations (Boudreau et al 2003;Bendoly, Donohue and Schultz 2006;Loch and Wu 2007;Gino and Pisano 2008).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 54%

Specialization and Variety in Repetitive Tasks: Evidence from a Japanese Bank

Staats

Gino

2011

SSRN Journal

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In particular, we find that team familiarity helps a team manage differences in prior experience across its members (i.e., interpersonal diversity) in some cases. Finally, our work responds to recent appeals to build more behavioral theory into operations (Boudreau et al 2003;Loch and Wu 2007;Gino and Pisano 2008). By examining individuals' interactions and prior experience, we gain insight into how team efficiency may be improved.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Fluid Tasks and Fluid Teams: The Impact of Diversity in Experience and Team Familiarity on Team Performance

Huckman

Staats

2011

M&SOM

203

104

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In this paper, we consider how the structures of tasks and teams interact to affect team performance. We study the effects of diversity in experience on a team's ability to respond to task changes by separately examining interpersonal team diversity (i.e., differences in experience across the entire team) and intrapersonal team diversity (i.e., whether individuals on the team are more or less specialized). We also examine whether team familiarity-team members' prior experience working with one another-helps teams to better manage challenges created by task changes and greater interpersonal team diversity. Using detailed project-and individual-level data from an Indian software services firm, we find that the interaction of task change with intrapersonal diversity is related to improved project performance, whereas the interaction of task change with interpersonal diversity is related to diminished performance. Additionally, the interaction of team familiarity with interpersonal diversity is related to improved project performance in some cases. Our results highlight a need for more nuanced approaches to leveraging experience in team management. In this paper, we consider how the structures of tasks and teams interact to affect team performance. We study the effects of diversity in experience on a team's ability to respond to task changes, by separately examining interpersonal team diversity (i.e., differences in experience across the entire team) and intrapersonal team diversity (i.e., whether individuals on the team are more or less specialized). We also examine whether team familiarity -team members' prior experience working with one another -helps teams to better manage challenges created by task changes and greater interpersonal team diversity. Using detailed project-and individual-level data from an Indian software services firm, we find that the interaction of task-change with intrapersonal diversity is related to improved project performance, while the interaction of task-change with interpersonal diversity is related to diminished performance. Additionally, the interaction of team familiarity with interpersonal diversity is related to improved project performance in some cases. Our results highlight a need for more nuanced approaches to leveraging experience in team management.

show abstract

“…There is a recent stream of work on behavioral operations management; see reviews by Bendoly, Donohue, and Schultz (2006), Gino and Pisano (2006), and Loch and Wu (2007). This emerging literature points out fundamental inconsistencies between empirical observations and theoretical predictions in a variety of operations settings, and underscore the need to reconcile these findings.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bounded Rationality in Newsvendor Models

2007

SSRN Journal

112

159

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Many theoretical models adopt a normative approach and assume that decision makers are perfect optimizers. In contrast, this paper takes a descriptive approach and considers bounded rationality, in the sense that decision makers are prone to errors and biases. Our decision model builds on the quantal choice model: While the best decision need not always be made, better decisions are made more often. We apply this framework to the classic newsvendor model and characterize the ordering decisions made by a boundedly rational decision maker. We identify systematic biases and offer insight into when overordering and underordering may occur. We also investigate the impact of these biases on several other inventory settings that have traditionally been studied using the newsvendor model as a building block, such as supply chain contracting, the bullwhip effect, and inventory pooling. We find that incorporating decision noise and optimization error yields results that are consistent with some anomalies highlighted by recent experimental findings.Keywords bounded rationality, newsvendor, logit choice, random utility, quantal response, supply chain, bullwhip effect, inventory, pooling DisciplinesOperations and Supply Chain Management | Other Business | Policy History, Theory, and Methods CommentsAt the time of publication, author Xuanming Su was affiliated with the University of California. Currently ( July 2016), he is a faculty member in the Operation, Information and Decisions Department of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.This journal article is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn.edu/oid_papers/140Electronic copy available at: http://ssrn.com/abstract=944155 Bounded Rationality in Newsvendor Models Xuanming SuHaas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA xuanming@haas.berkeley.edu Many theoretical models adopt a normative approach and assume that decision-makers are perfect optimizers. In contrast, this paper takes a descriptive approach and considers bounded rationality, in the sense that decision-makers are prone to errors and biases. Our decision model builds upon the quantal choice model: while the best decision need not always be made, better decisions are made more often. We apply this framework to the classic newsvendor model and characterize the ordering decisions made by a boundedly rational decision-maker. We identify systematic biases and offer insight into when over-ordering and under-ordering may occur. We also investigate the impact of these biases on several other inventory settings that have traditionally been studied using the newsvendor model as a building block, such as supply chain contracting, the bullwhip effect, and inventory pooling. We find that incorporating decision noise and optimization error yields results that are consistent with some anomalies highlighted by recent experimental findings.

show abstract

Behavioral Operations Management

Cited by 128 publications

References 152 publications

Specialization and Variety in Repetitive Tasks: Evidence from a Japanese Bank

Specialization and Variety in Repetitive Tasks: Evidence from a Japanese Bank

Fluid Tasks and Fluid Teams: The Impact of Diversity in Experience and Team Familiarity on Team Performance

Bounded Rationality in Newsvendor Models

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About