Table 2 Summary of the three... | Emerald Publishing

Table 2

Summary of the three illustrative domains

Domain	Multilevel view (emergent bottom-up)	Potential future research questions	Methodological approaches	Sampling strategies
Inventory management	The informational base needed for inventory decisions is actively constructed across interdependent roles via cycles of disclosure, concealment, and interpretation that can either foster shared understanding or generate fragmented and inconsistent outcomes, potentially affecting the cognitive effort required to interpret and integrate available inputs	How do disclosure and concealment of function-specific inputs shape the shared informational base for inventory decisions? How do cycles of transparency and fragmentation in cross-functional exchanges unfold over successive planning rounds and build the shared informational base for inventory decisions? How do incentive structures, status hierarchies, and role constraints influence whether cross-functional inputs are disclosed, withheld, or reinterpreted in shaping the shared informational base for inventory decisions?	Controlled Laboratory Experiments + ABM: Laboratory tasks allow manipulation of disclosure incentives and status cues. ABM extends these dynamics to simulate long-run cycles of concealment and reinterpretation that reshape the shared informational base for inventory decisions Longitudinal Field Studies + Process Tracing: Observing successive planning rounds tracks how the shared informational base for inventory decisions consolidates or fragments. Process tracing pinpoints when episodes of silence or reinterpretation alter the informational base Embedded Ethnography + Relational Event Modeling (REM): Ethnography reveals informal norms of disclosure, deference, or suppression in cross-functional planning. REM traces the event sequences (who discloses/withholds what, to whom, and when) over successive rounds and links them to changes in the coherence and mutual intelligibility of the shared informational base for inventory decisions Cross-level Quantitative Analysis (HLM, MSEM) + ABM: Quantitative data on incentive perceptions and status hierarchies link these enablers/constraints to the coherence and mutual intelligibility of the shared informational base for inventory decisions. ABM formalizes micro-rules of disclosure and concealment and simulates their evolution over time to explain the observed relationships	Cross-functional planning groups as the key loci where disclosure and concealment occur Sequential sampling across successive planning rounds to trace how disclosure, silence, and reinterpretation evolve Focal sampling during high-stakes episodes (e.g. major demand shocks, product launch planning, crisis-driven re-planning) where informational asymmetries have the greatest impact Comparative sampling across planning sessions embedded in different organizational settings, to see how disclosure dynamics accumulate or fragment under varying structures
Supply chain management	Trust at the buyer-supplier level emerges from repeated interactions at boundary roles, where credibility builds unevenly around critical actors and remains fragile, as single breakdowns can undermine the entire relationship	How do localized interactions at boundary roles drive the formation of buyer–supplier trust? How do signals of reliability and failure accumulated over successive interactions at boundary interfaces build or erode buyer–supplier trust? How do power asymmetries, integration mechanisms, and incentive systems influence interaction patterns at boundary interfaces that build or erode buyer–supplier trust?	ABM + Longitudinal Case Studies: ABM can formalize hypotheses on how repeated micro-interactions at boundary roles generate patterns of credibility. Longitudinal case evidence (e.g. tracking specific buyer–supplier interfaces over time) can validate whether these modeled trajectories of trust accumulation or erosion materialize Embedded Ethnography + ABM: In-depth observation of boundary actors (buyers, technical liaisons, account managers) can reveal the subtle behaviors that establish or weaken trust. These insights inform ABM models, enriching their realism and ecological validity Field Experiments + Process Tracing: Controlled interventions in boundary exchanges (e.g. introducing structured communication protocols or transparency mechanisms) can test how specific signals of reliability alter trust dynamics. Process tracing then uncovers how subsequent interactions and episodes accumulate over time into relationship-level trust or distrust Cross-level Quantitative Analysis + ABM: Quantitative data capture organizational enablers (e.g. power asymmetries, integration mechanisms, incentive systems) and relationship-level outcomes. ABM complements these by illustrating how certain local credibility dynamics consolidate into durable trust, while others remain fragile	Boundary roles and interfaces (buyers, supplier liaisons, account managers) as the primary interactional units where credibility is enacted Dense episodic sampling across repeated interactions (e.g. issue escalations, problem-solving meetings) to trace how signals of reliability accumulate or erode over time Temporal designs with multiple waves of observation, aligned with key relational milestones (e.g. contract renewals, new product launches, crisis episodes), to capture both gradual consolidation and sudden breakdowns of trust Comparative sampling across multiple buyer-supplier dyads to capture why similar governance conditions foster trust in some relationships but fail in others
Productivity management	Productivity improvement capabilities at the team-level emerge over time from the enactment of practices in day-to-day activities, shaped by local interactions, informal roles, and cumulative learning dynamics	How do lean practices give rise to interaction patterns that shape team-level improvement capabilities? How do individual actions and informal roles over time contribute to the development of team-level improvement capabilities? How do specific organizational arrangements and operational constraints shape the interaction patterns that sustain team-level improvement capabilities?	ABM + Field Experiments: ABM formalizes hypotheses on how lean practices produce interaction patterns. Field experiments then test whether these predicted patterns materialize in real teams ABM + Longitudinal Observational Studies: ABM generates expectations about developmental trajectories of productivity improvement efforts. Longitudinal analyses (e.g. event-history, process tracing) validate whether local actions consolidate as predicted ABM + Ethnographic/Embedded Fieldwork: Ethnography uncovers informal roles and micro-enactments that shape lean practice implementation. These insights refine ABM models and enrich their ecological validity Cross-level Quantitative Analysis (HLM, MSEM) + ABM: Quantitative data capture organizational enablers and team-level outcomes. ABM helps explain why certain local enactments accumulate into sustained improvement capabilities	Shop-floor teams as the primary interactional units where productivity improvement practices are put in practice collectively Dense time-based sampling of recurring coordination episodes (e.g. stand-ups, kanban reviews, improvement events) to capture how interaction patterns develop and reinforce over cycles Episodic sampling around milestones (e.g. kaizen events, major process changes), to detect shifts in role configurations and coordination patterns Broader comparative coverage across multiple teams to examine how similar practices consolidate in some contexts but diverge in others

Domain	Multilevel view (emergent bottom-up)	Potential future research questions	Methodological approaches	Sampling strategies
Inventory management	The informational base needed for inventory decisions is actively constructed across interdependent roles via cycles of disclosure, concealment, and interpretation that can either foster shared understanding or generate fragmented and inconsistent outcomes, potentially affecting the cognitive effort required to interpret and integrate available inputs	How do disclosure and concealment of function-specific inputs shape the shared informational base for inventory decisions? How do cycles of transparency and fragmentation in cross-functional exchanges unfold over successive planning rounds and build the shared informational base for inventory decisions? How do incentive structures, status hierarchies, and role constraints influence whether cross-functional inputs are disclosed, withheld, or reinterpreted in shaping the shared informational base for inventory decisions?	Controlled Laboratory Experiments + ABM: Laboratory tasks allow manipulation of disclosure incentives and status cues. ABM extends these dynamics to simulate long-run cycles of concealment and reinterpretation that reshape the shared informational base for inventory decisions Longitudinal Field Studies + Process Tracing: Observing successive planning rounds tracks how the shared informational base for inventory decisions consolidates or fragments. Process tracing pinpoints when episodes of silence or reinterpretation alter the informational base Embedded Ethnography + Relational Event Modeling (REM): Ethnography reveals informal norms of disclosure, deference, or suppression in cross-functional planning. REM traces the event sequences (who discloses/withholds what, to whom, and when) over successive rounds and links them to changes in the coherence and mutual intelligibility of the shared informational base for inventory decisions Cross-level Quantitative Analysis (HLM, MSEM) + ABM: Quantitative data on incentive perceptions and status hierarchies link these enablers/constraints to the coherence and mutual intelligibility of the shared informational base for inventory decisions. ABM formalizes micro-rules of disclosure and concealment and simulates their evolution over time to explain the observed relationships	Cross-functional planning groups as the key loci where disclosure and concealment occur Sequential sampling across successive planning rounds to trace how disclosure, silence, and reinterpretation evolve Focal sampling during high-stakes episodes (e.g. major demand shocks, product launch planning, crisis-driven re-planning) where informational asymmetries have the greatest impact Comparative sampling across planning sessions embedded in different organizational settings, to see how disclosure dynamics accumulate or fragment under varying structures
Supply chain management	Trust at the buyer-supplier level emerges from repeated interactions at boundary roles, where credibility builds unevenly around critical actors and remains fragile, as single breakdowns can undermine the entire relationship	How do localized interactions at boundary roles drive the formation of buyer–supplier trust? How do signals of reliability and failure accumulated over successive interactions at boundary interfaces build or erode buyer–supplier trust? How do power asymmetries, integration mechanisms, and incentive systems influence interaction patterns at boundary interfaces that build or erode buyer–supplier trust?	ABM + Longitudinal Case Studies: ABM can formalize hypotheses on how repeated micro-interactions at boundary roles generate patterns of credibility. Longitudinal case evidence (e.g. tracking specific buyer–supplier interfaces over time) can validate whether these modeled trajectories of trust accumulation or erosion materialize Embedded Ethnography + ABM: In-depth observation of boundary actors (buyers, technical liaisons, account managers) can reveal the subtle behaviors that establish or weaken trust. These insights inform ABM models, enriching their realism and ecological validity Field Experiments + Process Tracing: Controlled interventions in boundary exchanges (e.g. introducing structured communication protocols or transparency mechanisms) can test how specific signals of reliability alter trust dynamics. Process tracing then uncovers how subsequent interactions and episodes accumulate over time into relationship-level trust or distrust Cross-level Quantitative Analysis + ABM: Quantitative data capture organizational enablers (e.g. power asymmetries, integration mechanisms, incentive systems) and relationship-level outcomes. ABM complements these by illustrating how certain local credibility dynamics consolidate into durable trust, while others remain fragile	Boundary roles and interfaces (buyers, supplier liaisons, account managers) as the primary interactional units where credibility is enacted Dense episodic sampling across repeated interactions (e.g. issue escalations, problem-solving meetings) to trace how signals of reliability accumulate or erode over time Temporal designs with multiple waves of observation, aligned with key relational milestones (e.g. contract renewals, new product launches, crisis episodes), to capture both gradual consolidation and sudden breakdowns of trust Comparative sampling across multiple buyer-supplier dyads to capture why similar governance conditions foster trust in some relationships but fail in others
Productivity management	Productivity improvement capabilities at the team-level emerge over time from the enactment of practices in day-to-day activities, shaped by local interactions, informal roles, and cumulative learning dynamics	How do lean practices give rise to interaction patterns that shape team-level improvement capabilities? How do individual actions and informal roles over time contribute to the development of team-level improvement capabilities? How do specific organizational arrangements and operational constraints shape the interaction patterns that sustain team-level improvement capabilities?	ABM + Field Experiments: ABM formalizes hypotheses on how lean practices produce interaction patterns. Field experiments then test whether these predicted patterns materialize in real teams ABM + Longitudinal Observational Studies: ABM generates expectations about developmental trajectories of productivity improvement efforts. Longitudinal analyses (e.g. event-history, process tracing) validate whether local actions consolidate as predicted ABM + Ethnographic/Embedded Fieldwork: Ethnography uncovers informal roles and micro-enactments that shape lean practice implementation. These insights refine ABM models and enrich their ecological validity Cross-level Quantitative Analysis (HLM, MSEM) + ABM: Quantitative data capture organizational enablers and team-level outcomes. ABM helps explain why certain local enactments accumulate into sustained improvement capabilities	Shop-floor teams as the primary interactional units where productivity improvement practices are put in practice collectively Dense time-based sampling of recurring coordination episodes (e.g. stand-ups, kanban reviews, improvement events) to capture how interaction patterns develop and reinforce over cycles Episodic sampling around milestones (e.g. kaizen events, major process changes), to detect shifts in role configurations and coordination patterns Broader comparative coverage across multiple teams to examine how similar practices consolidate in some contexts but diverge in others

Source(s): Authors’ own elaboration