The MBA in operations management

An MBA in operations management or a specialization in a

related field, such as logistics or supply chain
management, should help students to enter the industry by
developing the requisite skillset or to help those
already in the industry to widen their knowledge and push
on into a business leadership role.
Studying an MBA in operations management commonly offers
a global perspective on industry trends and an awareness
of any financial regulations or political uncertainties
that could impact an organization. Risk management,
getting to grips with the industry’s inherent
complexities and responding well to change will be a
strong consideration for students during their course.
Emphasizing the importance of strategic thinking is also
a cornerstone of many leading operations management
programs, something that should enable graduates to
ensure their organization stays ahead of its competition.
Links to supply chain management highlighted by course options

MIT Sloan offers a dual degree with its engineering

school, highlighting its interrelations with other
disciplines. At the end of two years, graduates leave the
Leaders for Global Operations (LGO) program with both an
MBA and an MSc. The course has a wealth of company
partners in the field of global operations and
manufacturing who host plant visits and provide
opportunities for the program’s six-month internship
segment. Indeed, 61 percent of 2018 students found their
post-graduate jobs through the LGO network, from a list
including Boeing and American Industrial Partners (AIP).
The UK’s Cass Business School, meanwhile, offers a
specialized master’s in Global Supply Chain Management
(GSCM). The one-year course places operations management
alongside insights into strategic supply chain, global
procurement, business sustainability and finance.
Contextualizing the role of the operations manager

The operations manager is able to transcend industries so

exact job functions can vary based on the company you
work for. At the base level, the two main streams an
operations manager might belong to can be reduced to
companies with a concentration on manufacturing and
production, or those that provide services.
Operations management roles within say, a pharmaceutical
company fall under the category of production. Planning
and coordinating the use of resources to ensure products
are designed, created and dispatched to hospitals,
chemists and so on, ensure not only that these products
are prepared, but also that they are available to
customers.
Meanwhile, an airline company will often see the
operations manager focus on services – transporting
passengers and/or cargo from one place to another.
In addition, it is likely that a manufacturing focus on
the delivery of a tangible product will involve less
direct contact with customers than a services role.
These examples illustrate the clear distinction between
the roles of an operations manager in two distinct
industries.
However, in reality most companies will not fit easily
into one category or the other in the entirety of its
operations. A car company doesn’t simply manufacture
cars, it also services them. A café serving coffee might
very easily also produce their own coffee. There is also
what is known as quasi-manufacturing organizations, which
seem more like manufacturing firms, but are clearly
providing a service, such as an automated warehouse
dispatching goods.
The more one analyses the question of what operations
management is, the more one sees how integral the
position can be to any given company, be it small or
large. There can be strong overlap with supply chain
management, logistics or engineering, but there are many
other industries and areas where operations functions and
the skills of an effective operations manager are
strongly tied to an organization’s lasting success.