Visualization in Operations Management Research

The unprecedented availability of data along with the growing variety of software packages to visualize it presents both opportunities and challenges for operations management (OM) research. OM researchers typically use data to either describe conditions, predict phenomena or make prescriptions depending on whether they are building, testing or translating theories to practice. Visualization, when used appropriately can complement, aid, and augment the researcher’s understanding during these stages of research cycle (theory building, testing or translating). On the other hand, if used incorrectly and without sufficient consideration, visualization can also yield misleading and erroneous claims. In this forum article, we formally examine the benefits of visualization as a method incorporated into a broader research strategy that can enhance the different stages of OM research. Borrowing from research in different OM contexts, we examine frameworks and cases to understand the applicability of visualization in OM research. We conclude by offering guidance to researchers on how to use visual renderings across different stages of research and show how the incorrect usage of visualization can result in misrepresentation issues.