Guest editorial

Citation

Safsten, K. and Johansson, G. (2020), "Guest editorial", Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, Vol. 31 No. 8, pp. 1509-1515. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMTM-12-2020-462

Collaborative research approaches in operations management

Background and motivation

The field of operations management has traditionally been dominated by development and testing of theories, using mathematics, modelling and simulation (Scudder and Hill, 1998). In the beginning of the 1980s, a gap was noted between theory and practice in operations management research (e.g. Buffa, 1981; Groffa and Clark, 1981), and a need for more empirical research methods was acknowledged (Flynn et al., 1990). Hence, during the last decades empirical studies have increased and resulted in better understanding of operations management practices within industry (Baratt et al., 2011). Notably, though, empirical research has been dominated by surveys and case studies; few studies have used different kinds of collaborative research approaches (Taylor and Taylor, 2009). This is surprising because such approaches are seen as fruitful means to deal with some challenges related to studies within the field of operations management (van de Ven, 2007). Still, we have noticed a shift from research on the industry to doing research together with the industry (Ellström, 2008). Co-creation of knowledge and the ambition to increase the collaboration between industry and academia has created a vast number of collaborative research approaches. Gathered under the umbrella concept collaborative research, there exist several different approaches, including collaborative management research, action research, interactive research and participatory research, among others (Aagard Nielsen and Svensson, 2006; Adler et al., 2004).

The need for combing theory and practice is also evident in the scope of leading operations management journals such as Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management (JMTM), International Journal of Operations and Production Management (IJOPM), Manufacturing and Service Operations Management (M&OSM) and Production and Operations Management (POM). A review of the purposes and aims of these journals reveals that research with a strong theoretical linkage, which is also relevant for practitioners, is sought for. All journals welcome research based on different research designs. However, despite the journals welcome studies based on different research designs, published papers that explicitly have applied a collaborative research approach is still limited.

Aspects of collaborative research addressed in the special issue

This special issue of Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management seeks to boost the understanding of collaborative research approaches in operations management, where researchers work together with industry and external organisations to concurrently solve real industrial problems and co-create generic knowledge. The question about the practical application of collaborative research approaches is raised as well as questions about what kind of results that can be expected, and its relevance for different stakeholders. The special issue elaborates on the evolvement of collaborative research approaches and how they are applied. Illustrations of good examples are also included. In applied fields of research, such as operations management, both scientific rigour and industrial relevance are crucial, and therefore, it is essential to develop more knowledge on the procedures required to achieve this. The special issue aims at contributing to an increased understanding of collaborative research approaches by addressing the following themes:

1. History or emergence of specific collaborative research approaches,

2. Descriptions of practical application of collaborative research approaches,

3. Type of results achieved from collaborative research approaches,

4. Utilisation of results in academia and industry,

5. Possibility to advance in academia when working close to industry,

6. Procedures required to achieve scientific rigour and industrial relevance,

7. Advances in different collaborative research approaches,

8. Comparison of different collaborative research approaches,

9. Pros and cons of different collaborative research approaches,

10. Publication strategies, potentials and pitfalls when using collaborative research approaches,

11. Consequences of using collaborative research approaches and

12. The future of collaborative research approaches.

Contributing papers in the special issue on collaborative research approaches in operations management

Among the submitted papers, four were selected and qualified for publication in the special issue, reflecting topical aspect of collaborative research in operations management. Three of the papers explore aspects related to the interactive research approach. It is a fairly new research approach, still mainly used in a Scandinavian context, which also is reflected in the papers. Research in operations management differs between UK, US and Scandinavia. The tradition in Scandinavia favours solving real industrial problems in collaboration with practicing managers and other company representatives, which differs slightly from research in UK and US (Drejer et al., 2000). The interactive research approach is described as an emerging approach within the broad spectrum of collaborative research approaches, and the basic concepts, contributions and challenges are presented by Ellström, Elg, Wallo, Berglund and Kock. The paper by Johansson and Wallo elaborates on researchers' competence in use when working with interactive research. In the third paper, Berglund, Harlin and Säfsten describe an interactive research approach as a possible means to create relevant knowledge in operations management. The fourth paper does not address interactive research but explores how SME-university collaboration can be established through innovation support programmes. In this paper, two innovation support programmes are in focus, and different aspects related to the collaboration is under scrutiny by Kurdve, Bird and Lage-Hellman. The four papers are introduced and summarised below.

Interactive research: concepts, contributions and challenges

Per-Erik Ellström, Mattias Elg, Andreas Wallo, Martina Berglund and Henrik Kock

The purpose of the first paper is to introduce and conceptualize interactive research. The basic concepts, contributions and challenges of the interactive research approach in this paper are presented and illustrated through a practical case, the HELIX Centre.

The origin of the interactive research approach is described as an attempt to find a third way of research, between mainstream, linear forms of research and action research. The approach has mainly developed in a Scandinavian context to overcome critique of action research. One of the distinguishing features of the interactive research approach is the focus on joint learning between the researchers and the involved practitioners. At the same time, a clear division of labour between the researchers and practitioners is emphasised – the participants have different roles and perform different tasks. In the paper a conceptual model of interactive research is presented (figure 1), illustrating the two interacting organisational systems, the research system and the practice system. In the intersection between these two systems is the core of the interactive research approach, the common conceptualization and interpretation of the research object. Throughout the paper it is argued that interactive research has a “built-in” focus on the dual tasks of contributing both to long-term theory development and to innovation and change processes in organizations. The authors emphasise that the concept of interactive research should rather be understood as a “macro-design”, an approach towards designing the whole research process, rather than as a specific set of research methods or techniques (“micro-design”).

To illustrate how interactive research may be organized for and carried out on a programme level of research, experiences from the HELIX Centre at Linköping University in Sweden is presented. The HELIX Centre is a multidisciplinary organization with a partnership approach towards organising the stakeholders. The HELIX Centre has become an active intermediary between different interests and actors. In the paper three examples of research use and practical impact are provided, as is a description of academic outcome in the form of scholarly publications.

Based on the authors’ experiences from practicing interactive research, a number of aspects that need further corroboration in order to advance the interactive research approach are pointed out. Among these, the importance of not giving up the traditional validity criteria is mentioned. The authors suggest a possible expansion of the notion of validity with the concept of pragmatic validity, to capture the practical value. Another aspect mentioned is the role of the researcher. Several questions related to how and to what extent an interactive researcher should engage in organisational actions and processes of change need further consideration. The question is raised if the price for high relevance is too high, referring to the time needed for planning and carrying out an interactive research project. The required time for collaborative efforts has to be weighed against the research productivity in terms of scientific publication and theoretical advancement. Finally, the aspect of mutual trust and long-term relationships is highlighted.

The paper concludes that the focus for interactive research is to bridge the gap between research and practice. To achieve this, the research object becomes a common matter, around which the researchers and the involved practitioners can gather. A subject-to-subject relationship is sought for between the researcher-subject and the participant-subject, were the research object ideally can function as a boundary object. However, interactive research is not believed to be a panacea for all type of research problems. More knowledge is needed concerning the contingencies that can hinder or facilitate the use of interactive research. Furthermore, issues related to ‘micro-design”, including for example how to interact with the practitioners in analysis, interpretation and conceptualization of data (analysis seminars) are required.

Exploring the work and competence of interactive researchers

Peter E. Johansson and Andreas Wallo

In this paper, Johansson and Wallo provide insights related to the competence in use when working with interactive research. The paper addresses two research questions: the character of work when conducting interactive research and what constitutes competence when working with interactive research. Focus is on competence in use and not on formal competence (i.e. documented achievements such as grades, certificates). A review of prior research on competence requirements in interactive research is presented. The empirical material in the paper is based on a survey and focus group interviews. The respondents were senior and junior researchers, active in operations and/or innovation management research from different universities in Sweden.

The findings related to the first research question, the character of work when conducting interactive research, entails a range of critical aspects that need to be considered by the interactive researcher. Interactive research as work is characterised by an interplay among multiple stakeholders, involving multiple goals and ambitions. A key condition is a genuine willingness from all participants to collaborate and to be open to new perspectives. The research should be relevant from both an academic and a practical standpoint. This duality put strain on the researcher, both in terms of the time required to the required activities, such as feedback and analysis seminars, but also related to the risk of losing the critical stance. Furthermore, the empirical findings revealed a discrepancy between what is intended in terms of doing interactive research and in some cases – what is actually done. One explanation for this “pseudo-interactive research” was the requirements from the funders (in Sweden) on collaboration, which in practice might be just a label. In interactive research, a number of additional work activities are described, besides traditional research activities such as interviews and surveys. Coordination of work between the participating stakeholders and ways to nurture the social relations are described. Embedded in many of the activities is dialogue, which was referred to as a key activity closely linked to the main idea in interactive research – the co-creation of knowledge. An interactive researcher must fit into both the academic and the industrial settings. Ability to understanding different contexts, to adapt the language to the specific context and to navigate through potential tensions that might occur is required, described as boundary spanning. Lastly, the interactive researcher is described as a “self-made workshop facilitator”. Workshops are a key part of the interactive research work, despite that – knowledge related to planning and conducting a workshop is far from established.

To sum up and address the second research question, the empirical findings indicate that the competence required for conducting interactive research relies heavily on the researcher's experience-based learning. There are few examples of a developed praxis for sharing details between colleagues, and there is little focus on how researchers are actually conducting different work activities or solving tasks in interactive research work. The paper concludes that interactive research is demanding, and a versatile researcher or team of researchers is required. The work of conducting interactive research that reaches outside of the traditional research boundaries is not a common shared practice in the research community but rather individually carried. A practical implication is that the neglected aspects of interactive researcher competence can be used as guidance for training and formulating curricular activities in research education.

Interactive research in production start-up – application and outcome

Martina Berglund, Ulrika Harlin and Kristina Säfsten

The third paper selected for the special issue presents the application and outcome of two interactive research projects. The paper highlights the possibilities for joint knowledge creation through collaboration in research projects when exchange between researchers from complementary fields and companies dealing with production start-ups was enabled. The challenge to reach both industrial relevance and academic rigour is discussed. The standpoint taken in the paper is that the outcome of applied research has a value when it can inform practice, and this knowledge must be both valid and reliable, i.e. uphold scientific rigor.

The results presented are based on a study of two research projects and interactive research approach was applied. The context was industrial manufacturing companies in Sweden, with different kind of challenges related to production start-ups, such as collaboration between involved functions and suppliers, competence development and work routines. As the foundation for a systematic reflection and assessment of the application and outcome of interactive research, a framework suggested by Shani and Coghlan (2019) was applied. The framework includes aspects related to the context, quality of relationship, quality of the research process itself and outcomes and was used as a lens to reach a well-grounded analysis and reflection of the application and outcomes of interactive research in the context of production start-ups.

Indicators of the quality of relationship between researchers and practitioners initiated development activities and new collaboration between functions, within the company, between companies and in supply chains. The research process itself included four iterative steps with regular follow-ups, allowing joint practitioner and researcher reflection on the progress. In the reflection of the quality of the research process, a close collaboration between the researcher and the practitioners was noted, and the risk for researchers to become too involved in guidance and in the outcome of the process. Here, the underlying model for interactive research (Figure 2), with the research system and the practice system in clear separate loops, was presented at the start of the collaboration and also referred throughout the process, emphasizing the different roles of the researchers and the practitioners. Identified outcomes included increased awareness and competence on how to deal with production start-ups, improvements of communication, work procedures and structures, better use of competences, increased cross-functional dialogue and cultural understanding. The results were perceived as value-adding both for practitioners in industry and for academia.

The main learning from of using an interactive research approach in the context of production start-up is summarized in the end of the paper (Table 5). Related to the quality of the relationship, broad engagement from the practitioners gives a foundation for valuable practical result. It is mentioned that specific collaborative skills may be required and some flexibility to allow for changes in the original plan. Related to the outcome, it is pointed out that in interactive research, both researchers and practitioners take responsibility for their own development. Hereby, the results in the practice system are not driven by the researchers, which contribute to sustainable results.

Establishing SME-university collaboration through innovation support programmes

Martin Kurdve, Anna Bird and Jens Lage-Hellman

The fourth paper takes another perspective on collaborative research in operations management. The starting point is an identified need for research centres to connect small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with universities. Focus is on older and established SMEs in traditional industries. In this paper Kurdve, Bird and Lage-Hellman explore when and how innovation support programmes, run by research centres, can affect collaboration between small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and universities. A prerequisite for the SMEs to take advantage of university-collaboration is absorptive capacity, which is considered in the paper.

The results presented in the paper are based on a mixture of broad and in-depth data sources. The study includes one university-driven research centre (Mälardalen Industrial Technology Centre, MITC) and two innovation support programmes (Produktionslyftet (the Production Leap) and Tillväxtmotorn (the Growth Engine)). Both innovation support programmes address the SMEs internal innovation through organisational development and learning. The effect from the innovation support programmes on collaboration and abortive capacity were evaluated through follow-up reports and surveys, and two research questions were addressed in the paper.

The first question was related to what the role of the perceived needs for development, in particular absorptive capacity, play for SME-university collaboration. The development of products and services were perceived as important for a majority of the firms participating in the studied innovation support programmes. A majority of the SMEs participating in Produktionslyftet and Tillväxtmotorn did not have structured collaboration activities after the programmes. However, many of them collaborated in, e.g. student projects or seminars. Based on this, it is suggested that the research centre can encourage a stepwise collaboration, starting with student projects followed by collaboration in research projects, after the programmes. The second question addressed in the paper was how the design of the innovation support programmes can affect university collaboration and absorptive capacity among participating SMEs. Both the studied innovation support programmes are perceived to train the firm representatives in capabilities associated with innovation and collaboration (for an overview see Table 4). However, it is suggested that innovation support programmes could connect even stronger to innovation development theory and highlight skills for absorptive capacity in their design.

It is concluded that industry-university collaboration involving SMEs are challenging. Based on the study of two innovation support programmes, it is described how they can provide a relational path between the SME and the university. Collaboration may start with introducing the participating SMEs to work with students and education. Over time the collaboration may deepen, and the SMEs take part in research projects and R&D agendas, co-production matures and becomes beneficial to both parties and to a wider part of society. Further research on collaborative industry-university innovation support programmes directed towards established SMEs is, however, needed. It is, for example, recommended that absorptive capacity and collaborative skills should be considered in a systematic way in development of future innovation support programmes.

Final remarks

Operations management research benefits from a variety of research designs. Our firm belief is that collaborative research approaches add to the set of research designs by delivering scientifically rigour and practically relevant research results through co-creation of operations management knowledge. Therefore, it is essential to reflect on and develop the procedures of collaborative research approaches. This special issue mainly contributes with knowledge on one of the approaches, i.e. interactive research. When applying an interactive research approach, focus is on joint learning between involved practitioners and researchers, and the research object can act as a boundary object linking the practice system and the research system. The special issue also contributes to the understanding of the role of research centres and innovation support programmes in industry-university collaboration.

Despite the valuable contribution from the papers included in the special issue, we strongly encourage a continued dialogue in Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management and elsewhere on the practice of doing sound and relevant collaborative research in the area of operations management. For example, we still need better understanding of the “micro-design” of interactive research. The papers indicate that, we need more knowledge on how to plan and carry out analysis seminars and workshops. It is also pointed out that the competence in use, when working with interactive research approaches, needs further elaboration. Additional skills might be required that can be used in the training of doctoral students, for example. The fact the interactive research can be seen as an approach on a “macro-design” level is a plausible explanation for the limited number of publications explicitly stating that collaborative research has been applied. It can potentially inhibit the development and use of such approaches in operations management research, and as we have seen in this special issue, dialogue is a key in joint learning processes. Furthermore, it is pointed out that more knowledge is needed concerning the contingencies that can hinder or facilitate the use of interactive research. Even though the special issue primarily addresses the interactive research approach, we also see need for more experiences and insights regarding other collaborative approaches such as the ones mentioned above, i.e. collaborative management research, action research, participatory research, etc.

We, as guest editors, would like to thank all who contributed to this special issue. We acknowledge the Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management and the Editor-in-Chief Harm-Jan Steenhuis for giving us the opportunity to produce this special issue. We appreciate the professional and kind support from the Editorial Assistant Anna Rosello Campmany and her colleagues at the editorial office of Emerald Group Publishing. A special issue would not be possible to produce without engaged and dedicated researchers. Therefore, we acknowledge all the efforts invested by the authors contributing to this special issue. Most papers have undergone several peer review iterations, and we appreciate the work you did to reach final acceptance. We also would like to express our deepest thanks to the anonymous reviewers. Your expertise and constructive feedback to the authors have been very valuable and definitely contributed to the quality of the papers included in the special issue.

Finally, it is our hope that all researchers and practitioners that enter the collaborative research road find this special issue interesting, inspiring and useful.