We Must Find the Courage to Change

Abstract

The Thought‐Leader Series of five articles in the March 2014 issue of the Journal of Business Logistics made it clear that major changes are required in both Logistics and Supply Chain Management programs and indeed in business schools. The articles provided further evidence of how ill‐advised metrics in the hands of fools not only result in a misuse of financial resources but also squander “the efforts of some of the world's best minds” (Economist 2013a). We address the problems that these “Thought‐Leader” pieces reveal, briefly review the criticism of business schools, and describe how the metrics used to evaluate performance are driving the wrong behavior. We offer recommendations for change including: stop competing based on flawed ranking systems; focus on providing students with a quality cross‐functional education; encourage faculty members to conduct problem‐driven, big‐idea research that impacts management practice; and change the incentive system for faculty and administrators. Faculty members in Logistics and Supply Chain Management have a unique opportunity to make substantial contributions due to the boundary‐spanning nature of these fields and the traditional emphasis on applied research. We should not ignore these strengths. Implementing our recommendations will not be easy but we must find the courage to change.

New Frontiers in Logistics Research: Theorizing at the Middle Range

“…Finally, a middle‐range approach heightens the actionable impact of academic research by focusing on the how, why, and when questions in which managers and students are interested (Lambert and Enz ). Research conducted in a language and context directly accessible to logistics students and practitioners promises to enhance scholars’ insight dissemination and feedback solicitation.…”

“…Importantly, MRT need not be focused on logistics alone; core supply chain management concepts are ripe for such treatment by the broader supply chain management scholarly community. Finally, a middle-range approach heightens the actionable impact of academic research by focusing on the how, why, and when questions in which managers and students are interested (Lambert and Enz 2015). Research conducted in a language and context directly accessible to logistics students and practitioners promises to enhance scholars' insight dissemination and feedback solicitation.…”

“…Ultimately, MRT should establish a strong theoretical foundation within the domain of interest so as to facilitate future extensions across disciplines (Merton ). In addition, MRT should generate domain‐specific results that enhance the applicability of academic research to practice, as has been advocated by senior leaders in the logistics discipline (Lambert and Enz ).…”

Who shuns entrepreneurship journals? Why? And what should we do about it?

“…It was designed to compare the allocation of publication by elite with non-elite business schools, across analytical fields and those that (in the critics' view) should be more, not less, developed. Reviewing the critical literature and searching in ProQuest yields six scholarly fields that are widely promoted as needing more attention: entrepreneurship and innovation (Spender, 2014), ethics and social responsibility (Dyllick, 2015), information systems (Thomas et al, 2013), international management (Jain & Stopford, 2011), operations (Lambert & Enz, 2015), and "soft skills" and organizational behavior (Pfeffer & Fong, 2002). The six fields were broadly defined.…”

Starry-eyed II: the logistics journal ranking debate revisited

“…Zinn and Goldsby (2014) condone this “leakage” arguing that “only publication in journals broadly accepted as ‘A’ will boost the standing of logistics research in business schools where there is a logistics program and in the broader academic community”. Lambert and Enz (2015), on the other hand, urge greater loyalty to specialist logistics/SCM journals when they say that “publishing our best research in other journals is a catch-22. How will logistics journals ever reach premier journal status if we publish our best work in non-logistics journals”.…”