Soltani, EbrahimK. Ahmed, PervaizYing Liao, YingAnosike, Paschal2018-07-052018-07-052014-07-29Qualitative middle-range research in operations management 2014, 34 (8):1003 International Journal of Operations & Production Management0144-357710.1108/IJOPM-11-2012-0486http://hdl.handle.net/2436/621443Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to highlight the potential of a qualitative middle-range research approach to contribute to the advancement of operations management (OM) field. Design/methodology/approach –To better signify such contribution, it takes insight from Merton’s (1968) notion of middle-range theory as a means to create pathways of propositions that link substantive concepts and practices of OM in both context-specific and context-free operational environments. Findings – The paper brings to the fore the argument that achieving the primary objective of filling the “theory-methods” void in OM can be achieved through adoption of a qualitative middle-range approach. Originality/value – The originality of this paper hinges on the premise that theory-oriented qualitative field research that is able to incorporate experiences of different stakeholders of the OM intervention is highly likely to benefit OM theory advancement as well as OM practice. Keywords Qualitative research, Literature review, Methodology for operations management, Middle-range theory Paper type General reviewapplication/PDFenqualitative researchliterature reviewmethodology for operations managementmiddle-range theoryJournal articleInternational Journal of Operations & Production Management