Topics Operations

Featured Operations Articles

GEN-Guilan-scale-business-management-2400

Making It Easier to Manage and Scale Digital Projects

Patricia J. Guinan et al.

Using systematic processes to prototype, test, and launch ideas can help you scale agile benefits.

Why Large Companies Struggle With Lean

Frontiers |

Steve Blank, interviewed by Frieda Klotz

Large companies have found that applying the principles of lean is more complicated than expected.

GEN-Prashantham-Intrapreneur-Intrapreneurship-Entrepreneur-Entrepreneurship-2400

Partner With Entrepreneurs Inside and Out

Shameen Prashantham

Partnering with both intrapreneurs and external startups enables companies to accelerate innovation.

Serving the Customer

Avoiding the Pitfalls of Customer Participation

Frontiers |

Omar Merlo et al.

When employees represent the views of customers, management needs to have their backs.

FR-Ward-Customer-Service-Applied-Probability-2400

You Can’t Afford to Please Everyone

Frontiers |

Amy R. Ward, interviewed by Frieda Klotz

Giving customers what they want quickly is a worthy goal. Businesses can’t always afford to do it.

MAG-McFerran-Customer-Communication-1200

How Should Companies Talk to Customers Online?

Brent McFerran et al.

Digital customer service platforms offer better service when they use customer-centric language.

Supply Chain & Logistics

Transforming Manufacturing and Supply Chains With 4D Printing

Frontiers |

Monika Mahto and Brenna Sniderman

The next transformative emerging technology could be 4D printing.

The Digital Future of Strawberries

Frontiers |

Bruce Posner

Smart machines can help pick crops and reduce traffic — but what’s their impact on privacy?

Why Supply Chains Must Pivot

Frontiers |

Laurent Chevreux et al.

In an uncertain world, supply chains must adopt flexibility and automation to gain sustainable advantage.

MAG-Repenning-Log-Jam-Logjam-Tasks-Work-Load-1200

Breaking Logjams in Knowledge Work

Sheila Dodge et al.

Despite the well-documented costs of overload, many leaders still think organizations thrive under pressure. They have a lot to learn from manufacturing, where managers have adopted a “pull” system to manage task flow, improving productivity and performance. This concept can be used to prevent overload in knowledge work, too. And “visual management” techniques make it easier to apply pull thinking to a portfolio of projects by rendering nonphysical tasks tangible. Two recent changes at the Broad Institute, an MIT-affiliated biomedical and genomic research center, illustrate how.

“Empowering teams to take risks, experiment, and continuously learn often results in more satisfied digital team members.” — Patricia J. Guinan, et al.