A call for rebellion: demanding justice in operations and supply chain management

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Abstract
Purpose: This study aims to reflect on the operations and supply chain management (OSCM)-dominant focus on traditional stakeholders (e.g. buying firms, top managers) and its instrumental view of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) to discuss how to position excluded, marginalized and historically underrepresented stakeholders into the OSCM research stream. Design/methodology/approach: Through provocative theorizing, the authors problematize how OSCM research can integrate people, especially workers and underrepresented groups, to embrace justice, reduce inequalities and promote social impact. Findings: This essay offers insights into structural challenges beyond the empirical context to (re)think research choices and outcomes, recognize what needs to change in OSCM scholarship and practice and embrace novel and impactful research. Social implications: This essay highlights different ways to connect OSCM with real-world problems and needs toward societal well-being. Originality/value: Aiming to address existing supply chain structural injustices, the authors propose five reorientation shifts: reframing DEI, shifting the unit of analysis, rethinking the source of knowledge, changing the rules of the field and redefining impact. These shifts can transform OSCM into a more diverse, equal and inclusive field.

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