Theory as an Engine: Illuminating “White Space” of the SCM System of Knowledge Production

In this Notes & Debates essay, we contribute to debates about the discipline of supply chain management’s (SCM) system of knowledge production. We do so by exploring the range of ways that the appropriate use of theory can be understood. We highlight that a preponderance of research assumes the role of theory as a camera: a means of attaining the clearest image of the world as it is, achieved through empiricism and/or modeling. We also illuminate the possibility, stemming from a performative view of science, to mobilize theory as an engine for transforming the world. By examining the range of possibilities for researchers using theory as an engine, and by documenting the scarcity of SCM literature that has pursued one of the multiple possible agendas, we illuminate “white space” of SCM research important for the further development of the discipline.