Behavioral Operations: Past, Present, and Future

TLDR

Behavioral operations is a now-established field that studies how managers’, workers’, and customers’ behavior shapes operational decisions and outcomes, having grown rapidly over the past two decades with significant contributions from manufacturing and service operations management. The article reviews the research objectives and operational contexts addressed in behavioral operations and outlines promising directions for future study.

Abstract

Behavioral operations is now an established and fundamental research field dedicated to understanding how the behavior of managers, workers, and customers influences operational decisions and outcomes. Just 20 years ago, behavioral research within operations management was relatively small and dispersed. Manufacturing & Service Operations Management has played an integral role in the field’s development since then through its openness to new research questions and methodologies. In this article, we reflect on the research goals pursued in behavioral operations as well as the operational contexts explored. We also share thoughts on promising areas for future research.