Typologies and taxonomies of operations strategy: a literature review

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to review state‐of‐the‐art literature on typologies and taxonomies of operations strategy in order to propose generic operations strategies in industrial companies from a theoretical viewpoint. Design/methodology/approach Typologies and taxonomies are defined and characterised; both concepts delimit the generic configurations model. Then examine the state of the research on configuration analysis relating to operations strategy is examined. For this purpose articles published in 17 important journals in the field of production and operations management from the 1980s to the year 2006 are analysed. Findings This review allows one to identify three generic operations strategies commonly accepted in the literature. Research limitations/implications This research deserves much more attention, both theoretical and empirical, in order to analyse the existing classifications and develop new classifications of operations strategy. Practical implications Knowledge of generic operations strategies may help managers to design and implement a strategy that allows their firm to exploit the full potential of its manufacturing resources, and to achieve better results. The literature review contributes to theory development and provides a means of understanding the strategic position of operations. Originality/value Despite considerable interest in research on configurations in the study of organisation and business strategy there has not been much effort to examine the current state or even the future development of generic configurations in the operations strategy field. This paper fills this gap.

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