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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Biao Yang, Professor Ying YangORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND).
© 2017 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group The notion of decoupling thinking has been well established in the manufacturing operations and supply chain management literature. This paper explores how this decoupling thinking can be applied in service operations and in particular in health care. It first reviews the relevant literature on decoupling fundamentals, the front- and back-office distinction, and new emerging decoupling thinking in service operations. Subsequently, a flow-based framework including content and process is developed for decoupling thinking in service operations. The framework provides an integrated perspective on customer contact, flow driver and flow differentiation (level of customisation). The framework hence, through flow differentiation, introduces the concept of standardisation versus customisation in a service context. This is followed by a health care case example to illustrate how the framework can be applied. The managerial implications are primarily in terms of a modularised approach to system design and management. The framework offers potential for benchmarking with other service systems as well as with manufacturing systems based on the shared foundation in decoupling thinking. Finally, suggestions are provided for further research opportunities derived from this research.
Author(s): Wikner J, Yang B, Yang Y, Williams S
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Production Planning and Control
Year: 2017
Volume: 28
Issue: 5
Pages: 387-397
Online publication date: 01/03/2017
Acceptance date: 16/02/2017
Date deposited: 25/02/2017
ISSN (print): 0953-7287
ISSN (electronic): 1366-5871
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
URL: https://doi.org/10.1080/09537287.2017.1298869
DOI: 10.1080/09537287.2017.1298869
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