Introduction to the special issue on behavioral operations

The observed behavior of customers and managers often does not fit the assumptions of theoretical models used in the operations management (OM) literature. New research in behavioral OM is emerging to bridge the gap between traditional models and these newer observational findings. This work is both deductive and inductive, and it draws on multiple reference disciplines: experimental and behavioral economics, judgment and decision making from psychology, and organizational behavior and decision analysis from management. This special issue presents seven interesting papers that reflect the wide range of current research activity in behavioral OM. These papers provide insightful and thought-provoking introduction to this new direction in OM research.