Possibility theory: A foundation for theoretical and empirical explorations of uncertainty

Abstract

The field of operations and supply chain management (OSCM) has a long history of identifying and engaging with risk and uncertainty in operational practices. We provide a brief review of uncertainty in the OSCM domain, alongside an overview of our Special Issue (SI) call and accepted manuscripts. This serves as a starting point for the introduction of a new theoretical framework that reframes uncertainty as unresolved states of possibility. In this framework, the term possibility can refer to a broad array of OSCM actions and solutions including the novel application of existing approaches or technology as well as completely novel practices that enhance organizational outcomes. We illustrate the path-dependent evolution in these possibilities, alongside the limitations and opportunities imposed on the set of available possibilities resulting from concurrent evolution in the broader socio-technical system. We present the benefits of deploying a broader array of methodologies in the empirical study of what is, and is not, possible at discrete points in time, as well as the dual process of constraint and expansion in possibilities over time. The resulting empirical efforts to understand possibilities, in turn, enable novel theory development, elaboration of existing OSCM theory, and opportunities for bridging to other disciplines.