Commentary on Knowledge Creation and Dissemination in Operations and Supply-Chain Management

The title of this paper might have been Knowledge Creation and Dissemination in the POM Domain. Instead, these accomplished authors (who shall be dubbed with honorable intentions as RSST) define the POM domain as Operations and Supply‐Chain Management. Thereby, they leave no doubt that the POM domain spans the entire supply chain from shovels in the mine and seeds in the ground to recycled waste that is remanufactured and sold as new (as well as refurbished) products. RSST declare that sustainability of the ecosystem cycle must be achieved (even in the face of disaster conditions) by all institutions. RSST believe that practitioners can be taught the necessary attitudes and skills by business and engineering schools. It is noteworthy that the ecosystem cycle they describe is accompanied by marketing and financial decision cycles running parallel from inception of ideas to the ‘end of life’ closure that starts a new cycle for closed‐loop product planning. For these coexisting, interdependent, all‐encompassing systems, the RSST team leaves no doubt about the evolution of teaching and research opportunities for young POM scholars. These authors focus on the fact that everything that is not morphing is likely to become counterproductive in the not too far future. This is a critical point of view which is based on the fact that the status quo is highly vulnerable. Also, very special is the RSST warning that changes are required in the status quo which must be made without damaging the existing fabric. This non‐disruptive way of doing POM business has been remarkably successful for the cohesion of the field over the past 25 years. There is agreement that it is great to shake things up without tearing those things apart. All of this leads to the conclusion that the advice of these authors (RSST) is correct and valuable. Debate and disputation of these points is encouraged and expected by the RSST team.