The usefulness of behavioral laboratory experiments in supply chain management research

Behavioral supply chain management emphasizes the use of controlled laboratory experiments as a valid research methodology. This article discusses control, efficiency and responsiveness as unique advantages of behavioral experiments. While often sacrificing external validity, laboratory experiments allow the clear temporal separation of cause and effect, as well as the exclusion of spurious causes through randomization. Further, they are efficient to run, requiring little cost and time compared with extensive field studies or multiple site surveys. This makes it easier to use observations made in experiments to change theoretical models, since modified predictions can be more easily tested on new data.