Prof. dr. Fabian Sting

Profile
Prof. Dr. Fabian Sting is chaired professor of Digital Supply Chain Innovation at Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (part-time). As main affiliation, he holds the chair of Supply Chain Management – Strategy and Innovation at University of Cologne, Germany (see here).
He explores how organizations implement, reinforce, and shape their strategy by innovating their operations and processes. Specific research and teaching topics include:
- Implementing digital innovation and Industry 4.0
- Leading change initiatives and collaborative projects
- Managing employee behavior in agile operations and projects
- Sparking and integrating frontline employee ideas and innovation
This research has been published or is forthcoming in leading academic journals such as Academy of Management Journal, Management Science, Production and Operations Management, Journal of Operations Management as well as in premier practitioner journals such as Harvard Business Review, and MIT Sloan Management Review. For his scholarship he received prestigious awards, including the Richard Beckhard Memorial Prize by the MIT Sloan Management Review, the Jürgen Hausschildt Award for Innovation Management by the German Association of Business Research (VHB), and the Top Academic Article Award by the Erasmus Institute of Management (ERIM).
He teaches courses on undergraduate, graduate, and executive levels. For his courses "Operations Management" and "Primaire Processen" Fabian Sting earned multiple teaching awards.
Collaborating with the business schools IESE (Spain), INSEAD (France) and WHU (Germany), he serves as Academic Director of the Industrial Excellence Award in Europe (see here).
Before joining RSM Fabian Sting was Postdoctoral Research Fellow at INSEAD's Technology and Operations Management Department and visiting scholar at Northwestern University. He holds a Doctorate from WHU and graduate degrees in Management Science (KU Eichstätt-Ingolstadt) and Applied Mathematics (FU Hagen).
Professional experience
Full Professor
Erasmus University Rotterdam
RSM - Rotterdam School of Management
Department of Technology and Operations Management
Publications
Key Publications (18)
- F.J. Sting, C. Fuchs, M. Schlickel & O. Alexy (2019). How to Overcome the Bias We Have Toward Our Own Ideas. Harvard Business Review, hbr.org (online). Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2019/05/how-to-overcome-the-bias-we-have-toward-our-own-ideas? [go to publisher's site]
- P.B. Cornelius, B. Gokpinar & F.J. Sting (2021). How Temporary Assignments Boost Innovation. MIT Sloan Management Review, 2021 (March).
- P. Schneider & F.J. Sting (2020). Employees’ Perspectives on Digitalization-Induced Change: Exploring Frames of Industry 4.0. Academy of Management Discoveries, accepted (forthcoming). doi: 10.5465/amd.2019.0012
- P.B. Cornelius, B. Gokpinar & F.J. Sting (2020). Sparking Manufacturing Innovation: How Temporary Interplant Assignments Increase Employee Idea Values. Management Science, accepted (forthcoming). doi: 10.1287/mnsc.2020.3673 [go to publisher's site]
- C. Fuchs, F.J. Sting, M. Schlickel & O. Alexy (2019). The Ideator’s Bias: How Identity-induced Self-efficacy Drives Overestimation in Employee-driven Process Innovation. Academy of Management Journal, 62 (5). doi: 10.5465/amj.2017.0438 [go to publisher's site]
- F.J. Sting, M. Stevens & M. Tarakci (2019). Temporary deembedding buyer-supplier relationships: A Complexity Perspective. Journal of Operations Management, 65 (2), 114-135. doi: 10.1002/joom.1008
- P. Crama, F.J. Sting & Y. Wu (2019). Encouraging Help across Projects. Management Science, 65 (3), 955-1453. doi: 10.1287/mnsc.2017.2988
- A. Chandrasekaran, K. Linderman & F.J. Sting (2018). Avoiding epistemological silos and empirical elephants in OM: How to combine empirical and simulation methods? Journal of Operations Management, 63 (November), 1-5. doi: 10.1016/j.jom.2018.11.003
- F.J. Sting & C.H. Loch (2016). Implementing Operations Strategy: How Vertical and Horizontal Coordination Interact. Production and Operations Management, 25 (7), 1177-1193. doi: 10.1111/poms.12537
- A. Chandrasekaran, K. Linderman, F.J. Sting & M. Benner (2016). Managing R&D Project Shifts in High-Tech Organizations: A Multi-Method Study. Production and Operations Management, 25 (3), 390-416. doi: 10.1111/poms.12410
- J. Mihm, F.J. Sting & T. Wang (2015). On the Effectiveness of Patenting Strategies in Innovation Races. Management Science, 61 (11), 2662-2684. doi: 10.1287/mnsc.2014.2128
- F.J. Sting, C.H. Loch & D. Stempfhuber (2015). Accelerating Projects by Encouraging Help. MIT Sloan Management Review, 56 (3), 1-9.
- F.J. Sting & A. Huchzermeier (2014). Operational Hedging and Diversification under Correlated Supply and Demand Uncertainty. Production and Operations Management, 23 (7), 1212-1226. doi: 10.1111/poms.12196
- Y. Kim, F.J. Sting & C.H. Loch (2014). Top-Down, Bottom-Up, or Both? Toward an Integrative Perspective on Operations Strategy Formation. Journal of Operations Management, 32 (7-8), 462-474. doi: 10.1016/j.jom.2014.09.005
- F.J. Sting & A. Huchzermeier (2012). Dual Sourcing – Responsive Hedging Against Correlated Supply and Demand Uncertainty. Naval Research Logistics, 59 (1), 69-89. doi: 10.1002/nav.21473
- C.H. Loch, F.J. Sting, A. Huchzermeier & C. Decker (2012). Finding the Profit in Fairness. Harvard Business Review, 90 (10), 111-115. [go to publisher's site]
- F.J. Sting & A. Huchzermeier (2010). Ensuring Responsive Capacity: How to Contract with Backup Suppliers. European Journal of Operational Research, 207 (2), 725-735. doi: 10.1016/j.ejor.2010.05.044
- C.H. Loch, F.J. Sting, N. Bauer & H. Mauermann (2010). How BMW Is Defusing the Demographic Time Bomb. Harvard Business Review, 88 (3), 99-102. [go to publisher's site]
Professional Publications (7)
- F.J. Sting, C. Fuchs, M. Schlickel & O. Alexy (2019). How to Overcome the Bias We Have Toward Our Own Ideas. Harvard Business Review, hbr.org (online). Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2019/05/how-to-overcome-the-bias-we-have-toward-our-own-ideas? [go to publisher's site]
- P. Schneider & F.J. Sting (2019). Die Sicht der Mitarbeiter. Harvard Business Manager, 2019 (April). Retrieved from https://www.harvardbusinessmanager.de/heft/d-162831754.html [go to publisher's site]
- F.J. Sting (2016). Shift happens: how to manage changing projects. RSM Discovery - Management Knowledge, 25 (1), 17-19.
- F.J. Sting (2015). Encouraging help speeds up product development projects. RSM Discovery - Management Knowledge, 21 (1), 16-17.
- F.J. Sting & A. Huchzermeier (2012). Hedge Risks Appropriately With Backup Suppliers. Inside Supply Management. Retrieved from https://www.instituteforsupplymanagement.org/pubs/ISMMag/ismarticle.cfm?ItemNumber=23210&SSO=1 [go to publisher's site]
- C.H. Loch & F.J. Sting (2009, januari 1). A Seismic Shift in the Car Industry: The Management Challenge and Responsibility. Automotive Industries, pp. 70.
- F.J. Sting (2009). Flexible Sourcing—Operational Hedging, Diversification and Contracting under Supply and Demand Uncertainty. In BVL 26. Deutscher Logistik-Kongress Berlin. Berlin: DVV Media Group
Scholarly Publications (23)
- P.B. Cornelius, B. Gokpinar & F.J. Sting (2021). How Temporary Assignments Boost Innovation. MIT Sloan Management Review, 2021 (March).
- P. Schneider & F.J. Sting (2020). Employees’ Perspectives on Digitalization-Induced Change: Exploring Frames of Industry 4.0. Academy of Management Discoveries, accepted (forthcoming). doi: 10.5465/amd.2019.0012
- P.B. Cornelius, B. Gokpinar & F.J. Sting (2020). Sparking Manufacturing Innovation: How Temporary Interplant Assignments Increase Employee Idea Values. Management Science, accepted (forthcoming). doi: 10.1287/mnsc.2020.3673 [go to publisher's site]
- C. Fuchs, F.J. Sting, M. Schlickel & O. Alexy (2019). The Ideator’s Bias: How Identity-induced Self-efficacy Drives Overestimation in Employee-driven Process Innovation. Academy of Management Journal, 62 (5). doi: 10.5465/amj.2017.0438 [go to publisher's site]
- F.J. Sting, M. Stevens & M. Tarakci (2019). Temporary deembedding buyer-supplier relationships: A Complexity Perspective. Journal of Operations Management, 65 (2), 114-135. doi: 10.1002/joom.1008
- P. Crama, F.J. Sting & Y. Wu (2019). Encouraging Help across Projects. Management Science, 65 (3), 955-1453. doi: 10.1287/mnsc.2017.2988
- A. Chandrasekaran, K. Linderman & F.J. Sting (2018). Avoiding epistemological silos and empirical elephants in OM: How to combine empirical and simulation methods? Journal of Operations Management, 63 (November), 1-5. doi: 10.1016/j.jom.2018.11.003
- F.J. Sting & C.H. Loch (2016). Implementing Operations Strategy: How Vertical and Horizontal Coordination Interact. Production and Operations Management, 25 (7), 1177-1193. doi: 10.1111/poms.12537
- A. Chandrasekaran, K. Linderman, F.J. Sting & M. Benner (2016). Managing R&D Project Shifts in High-Tech Organizations: A Multi-Method Study. Production and Operations Management, 25 (3), 390-416. doi: 10.1111/poms.12410
- J. Mihm, F.J. Sting & T. Wang (2015). On the Effectiveness of Patenting Strategies in Innovation Races. Management Science, 61 (11), 2662-2684. doi: 10.1287/mnsc.2014.2128
- F.J. Sting, C.H. Loch & D. Stempfhuber (2015). Accelerating Projects by Encouraging Help. MIT Sloan Management Review, 56 (3), 1-9.
- F.J. Sting & A. Huchzermeier (2014). Operational Hedging and Diversification under Correlated Supply and Demand Uncertainty. Production and Operations Management, 23 (7), 1212-1226. doi: 10.1111/poms.12196
- Y. Kim, F.J. Sting & C.H. Loch (2014). Top-Down, Bottom-Up, or Both? Toward an Integrative Perspective on Operations Strategy Formation. Journal of Operations Management, 32 (7-8), 462-474. doi: 10.1016/j.jom.2014.09.005
- F.J. Sting & A. Huchzermeier (2012). Dual Sourcing – Responsive Hedging Against Correlated Supply and Demand Uncertainty. Naval Research Logistics, 59 (1), 69-89. doi: 10.1002/nav.21473
- C.H. Loch, F.J. Sting, A. Huchzermeier & C. Decker (2012). Fairness zahlt sich aus. Harvard Business Manager, October (Oktober), 1-8.
- C.H. Loch, F.J. Sting, A. Huchzermeier & C. Decker (2012). Finding the Profit in Fairness. Harvard Business Review, 90 (10), 111-115. [go to publisher's site]
- C.H. Loch, F.J. Sting, D. Stempfhuber & A. Huchzermeier (2012). Das Prinzip der Roten Karte. Harvard Business Manager, 2011 (January), 44-51.
- C.H. Loch, F.J. Sting, N. Bauer & H. Mauermann (2010). Keine Angst vor der alternden Belegschaft. Harvard Business Manager, 2010 (April), 68-74.
- F.J. Sting & A. Huchzermeier (2010). Ensuring Responsive Capacity: How to Contract with Backup Suppliers. European Journal of Operational Research, 207 (2), 725-735. doi: 10.1016/j.ejor.2010.05.044
- F.J. Sting, M. Braun & A. Huchzermeier (2010). Simulationsstudie: Exogene Risiken in der Beschaffung - Zusammenspiel von Diversifikation und Flexibilitat. In Supply Management Research: Aktuelle Forschungsergebnisse 2009 (pp. 147-171). Wiesbaden: Gabler doi: 10.1007/978-3-8349-8833-1_6
- C.H. Loch, F.J. Sting, N. Bauer & H. Mauermann (2010). How BMW Is Defusing the Demographic Time Bomb. Harvard Business Review, 88 (3), 99-102. [go to publisher's site]
- A. Huchzermeier, M. Hoehn & F.J. Sting (2007). Impact Study of RFID Adoption in Manufacturer-Retailer Supply Chains: Results from a European Industry Survey. (Extern rapport). Brussels: Excerpt of the EU-Project SMART
- H. Kuhn & F.J. Sting (2005). Bestimmung von Losgrößen, Transportzyklen und Sicherheitsbeständen in mehrstufigen Wertschopfungsketten. In Operations Research Proceedings 2005. Berlin: Springer
Semi Scientific Publications
- C.H. Loch & F.J. Sting (2010, februari 14). Think tank: just the job to help the older hands stay in work. The Sunday Times
Recognitions
Editorial positions (11)
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Operations Research
Ad Hoc Reviewer
-
European Journal of Operational Research
Ad Hoc Reviewer
-
Production and Operations Management
Ad Hoc Reviewer
-
International Journal of Production Economics
Ad Hoc Reviewer
-
Decision Sciences
Ad Hoc Reviewer
-
International Journal of Production Research
Ad Hoc Reviewer
-
IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management
Ad Hoc Reviewer
-
Administrative Science Quarterly
Ad Hoc Reviewer
-
Management Science
Ad Hoc Reviewer
-
Organization Science
Ad Hoc Reviewer
-
Production and Operations Management
Associate Editor
Organization Memberships (5)
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Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS)
Member
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German Operations Research Society (GOR)
Member
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European Operations Management Association (EUROMA)
Member
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Production and Operations Management Society (POMS)
Member
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Academy of Management (AM)
Track Chair
Side positions
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European Industrial Excellence Award (www.industrial-excellence-award.eu)
Academic Director and Jury Member
Media
Media items
- Eigen ideeën inbrengen: hoe beoordeel je dat zo objectief mogelijk?
An article that mentions research carried out by, amongst others, Fabian Sting, Associate Professor of Operations Management at the Department of Technology and Operations Management at RSM. The research is aimed at how one can…
MT.nl Monday, 27 May 2019 - 'Accelerating projects by encouraging help'
This article is a brief excerpt from the article co-authored at the beginning of March, by Fabian Sting, Christoph Loch and Dirk Stempfhuber for MIT Sloan Management Review.
Cambridge Network Friday, 27 March 2015 - Accelerating Projects by Encouraging Help
This article is a brief excerpt from the article co-authored at the beginning of March, by Fabian Sting, Christoph Loch and Dirk Stempfhuber for MIT Sloan Management Review.
Bobmorris.biz Wednesday, 11 March 2015 - Accelerating Projects by Encouraging Help
To keep product development projects on schedule, establishing psychological safety and promoting cooperative behavior can be just as important as good planning. In turbulent business landscapes several things are important to…
MITSloan Management Review Sunday, 1 March 2015 - Volkswagen Navarra gana el Industrial Excellence Award a la Mejor Fábrica Europea de 2014
Volkswagen Navarra is voted to be the Best European Factory during the 11th Business Week Conference. One of the members of the international jury is Fabian Sting.
Aachen-cityinfo.de Tuesday, 11 November 2014 - BMW Werk Leipzig ist die "Beste Europäische Fabrik" 10. WirtschaftsWoche Konferenz "Die Beste Fabrik 2013
The BMW Leipzig plant is the winner of the Best European Factory 2013. The prize is awarded at the "10th WirtschaftsWoche Conference". The jury consists of professors from various prestigious business schools, amongst who Fabian…
ID Medien Verlag-Kfz Monday, 25 November 2013 - Stiplastics reçoit le Trophée de l’Excellence Industrielle 2013, « Meilleure Usine de l’année » remis par l’Insead et l’Usine Nouvelle
This French article announces Stiplastics as the winner of the Industrial Excellence Award 2013 "Best Factory of the Year". The award was presented by INSEAD and the magazine l’Usine Nouvelle (The New Factory). The jury was…
La Gazette Du Laboratoire Friday, 31 May 2013 - Exzellentes Produktionsmanagement in Europa 9. WirtschaftsWoche Konferenz
This German article reports on the Best Factory 2012 and the Industrial Excellence Award 2012 award presentations, organized by INSEAD, WHU, IESE, Judge, Rotterdam School of Management and the Technical University of Eindhoven.
100 Themen.de Saturday, 29 September 2012 - How BMW reinvents the factory for older workers
How BMW reinvents the factory for older workers; the German car maker has adapted sections of its factories so it's easier for older employees to do their work. Fabian Sting, Assistant Professor of Operations Management at RSM and…
Yahoo! News Sunday, 2 September 2012
Discovery items
Ensuring new product development projects stay on track is challenging at the best of times. Part of the problem can lie with how project team members behave and communicate.
Courses
Research Methods and Skills
- Study year: 2020/2021
- Code: BMRM3SCM
- ECTS: 4 Level: Master
Past courses
Supply chain simulation
- Study year: 2015/2016
- Code: BMME069
- ECTS: 6 Level: Master
Operations Management
- Study year: 2014/2015
- Code: BAP057
- ECTS: 5 Level: Bachelor 1, Bachelor 1
Primary processes
- Study year: 2014/2015
- Code: BKB005
- ECTS: 6 Level: Bachelor 1
Supply chain simulation
- Study year: 2014/2015, 2013/2014
- Code: RSMME064
- ECTS: 6 Level: Master
Operations Management
- Study year: 2013/2014, 2012/2013, 2011/2012
- Code: BAP 57
- ECTS: 5
Primary processes
- Study year: 2013/2014, 2012/2013, 2011/2012
- Code: BKB0005
- ECTS: 6 Level: Bachelor 1
Operations Management
- Study year: 2012/2013, 2011/2012
- Code: BAP57
- ECTS: 5 Level: Bachelor 1
Supply chain simulation and revenue management
- Study year: 2012/2013, 2011/2012
- Code: BKMME164
- ECTS: 10 Level: Master
Award
- ERIM Top Article Junior Award (2016)
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