Tackling the Replication Crisis in Supply Chain Management

The replication crisis that has deeply affected neighboring disciplines is now under scrutiny in operations management. Eight scholars (Davis et al.: A Replication Study of Operations Management Experiments in Management Science) took the initiative to examine the replicability of ten influential experimental articles. Their results were disturbing: only six articles were fully replicated, two were partially replicated, and two completely missed the mark. Such results raise questions about the robustness of our basic research. In light of these findings, a pressing question arises: Does supply chain management, a closely related discipline, face a similar challenge? As we chart the course forward, it is imperative that both operations and supply chain management embrace transparency, rigor, and accountability. Addressing this crisis head-on will ensure that our disciplines maintain credibility, relevance, and trustworthiness in the academic and business communities. It is clear that there is a need for more replication studies that can challenge existing work.

Davis, A.M., Flicker, B., Hyndman, K., Katok, E., Keppler, S., Leider, S., Long, X., & Tong, J.D. (2023). A Replication Study of Operations Management Experiments in Management Science. Management Science, 69(9), _-_. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2023.4866