Profile
Prof. dr. Fabian Sting is chaired professor of Digital Supply Chain Innovation at Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (part-time). As the main affiliation, he holds the chair of Supply Chain Management – Strategy and Innovation at the 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 front-line 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). He was a visiting professor at the Lee Kong Chian School of Business at the Singapore Management University and at IESE Business School of the University of Navarra. Before joining RSM Fabian Sting was Postdoctoral Research Fellow at INSEAD's Technology and Operations Management Department and visiting scholar at Northwestern University (USA). He holds a Doctorate from WHU and graduate degrees in Management Science (KU Eichstätt-Ingolstadt) and Applied Mathematics (FU Hagen).
Publications
Article (29)
Academic (22)
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Salvador, F., & Sting, F. (2022). How Your Company Can Encourage Innovation from All Employees. Harvard Business Review (digital). https://hbr.org/2022/09/how-your-company-can-encourage-innovation-from-all-employees
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Cornelius, P., Gokpinar, B., & Sting, F. (2021). Sparking Manufacturing Innovation: How Temporary Interplant Assignments Increase Employee Idea Values. Management Science, 67(4), 2231-2250. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2020.3673
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CORNELIUS, PHILIPP. B., GOKPINAR, BILAL., & STING, FABIAN. J. (2021). How temporary assignments boost innovation: When front-line manufacturing employees are exchanged between company sites, they contribute more valuable ideas. MIT Sloan Management Review, 62(3), 9-11. https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/how-temporary-assignments-boost-innovation/
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Schneider, P., & Sting, F. (2020). Employees’ Perspectives on Digitalization-Induced Change: Exploring Frames of Industry 4.0. Academy of Management Discoveries, 6(3). https://doi.org/10.5465/amd.2019.0012
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Fuchs, C., Sting, F., Schlickel, M., & Alexy, O. (2019). The Ideator’s Bias: How Identity-induced Self-efficacy Drives Overestimation in Employee-driven Process Innovation. Academy of Management Journal, 62(5). https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2017.0438
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Sting, F., Stevens, M., & Tarakci, M. (2019). Temporary deembedding buyer-supplier relationships: A Complexity Perspective. Journal of Operations Management, 65(2), 114-135. https://doi.org/10.1002/joom.1008
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Crama, P., Sting, F., & Wu, Y. (2018). Encouraging Help across Projects. Management Science, 65(3), 955-1453. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2017.2988
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Chandrasekaran, A., Linderman, K., & Sting, F. (2018). Avoiding epistemological silos and empirical elephants in OM: How to combine empirical and simulation methods? Journal of Operations Management, 63(November), 1-5. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jom.2018.11.003
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Sting, F., & Loch, CH. (2016). Implementing Operations Strategy: How Vertical and Horizontal Coordination Interact. Production and Operations Management, 25(7), 1177-1193. https://doi.org/10.1111/poms.12537
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Chandrasekaran, A., Linderman, K., Sting, F., & Benner, MJ. (2016). Managing R&D Project Shifts in High-Tech Organizations: A Multi-Method Study. Production and Operations Management, 25(3), 390-416. https://doi.org/10.1111/poms.12410
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Mihm, J., Sting, F., & Wang, T. (2015). On the Effectiveness of Patenting Strategies in Innovation Races. Management Science, 61(11), 2662-2684. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2014.2128
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Sting, F., Loch, CH., & Stempfhuber, D. (2015). Accelerating Projects by Encouraging Help. MIT Sloan Management Review, 56(3), 1-9. https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/accelerating-projects-by-encouraging-help/
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Kim, YH., Sting, F., & Loch, CH. (2014). Top-Down, Bottom-Up, or Both? Toward an Integrative Perspective on Operations Strategy Formation. Journal of Operations Management, 32(7-8), 462-474. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jom.2014.09.005
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Sting, F., & Huchzermeier, A. (2014). Operational Hedging and Diversification under Correlated Supply and Demand Uncertainty. Production and Operations Management, 23(7), 1212-1226. https://doi.org/10.1111/poms.12196
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Loch, CH., Sting, F., Huchzermeier, A., & Decker, C. (2012). Fairness zahlt sich aus. Harvard Business Manager, October(Oktober), 1-8. http://hdl.handle.net/1765/38110
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Loch, CH., Sting, F., Huchzermeier, A., & Decker, C. (2012). Finding the Profit in Fairness. Harvard Business Review, 90(10), 111-115. http://hdl.handle.net/1765/38069
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Loch, CH., Sting, F., Stempfhuber, D., & Huchzermeier, A. (2012). Das Prinzip der Roten Karte. Harvard Business Manager, 2011(January), 44-51. http://hdl.handle.net/1765/35007
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Sting, F., & Huchzermeier, A. (2012). Dual Sourcing – Responsive Hedging Against Correlated Supply and Demand Uncertainty. Naval Research Logistics, 59(1), 69-89. https://doi.org/10.1002/nav.21473
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Loch, C., & Sting, F. (2010). A seismic shift in the car industry: The management challenge and responsibility. Automotive Industries AI, 190(3).
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Sting, F., & Huchzermeier, A. (2010). Ensuring Responsive Capacity: How to Contract with Backup Suppliers. European Journal of Operational Research, 207(2), 725-735. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2010.05.044
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Loch, CH., Sting, F., Bauer, N., & Mauermann, H. (2010). How BMW Is Defusing the Demographic Time Bomb. Harvard Business Review, 88(3), 99-102. http://hdl.handle.net/1765/20802
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Loch, CH., Sting, F., Bauer, N., & Mauermann, H. (2010). Keine Angst vor der alternden Belegschaft. Harvard Business Manager, 2010(April), 68-74.
Popular (1)
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Loch, CH., & Sting, F. (2010). Think tank: just the job to help the older hands stay in work. Unknown.
Professional (6)
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Sting, F., Fuchs, C., Schlickel, M., & Alexy, O. (2019). How to Overcome the Bias We Have Toward Our Own Ideas. Harvard Business Review, hbr.org(online). http://hdl.handle.net/1765/116472
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Schneider, P., & Sting, F. (2019). Die Sicht der Mitarbeiter. Harvard Business Manager, 2019(April). http://hdl.handle.net/1765/121657
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Sting, F. (2016). Shift happens: how to manage changing projects. RSM Discovery - Management Knowledge, 25(1), 17-19. http://hdl.handle.net/1765/80182
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Sting, F. (2015). Encouraging help speeds up product development projects. RSM Discovery - Management Knowledge, 21(1), 16-17. http://hdl.handle.net/1765/77987
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Sting, F., & Huchzermeier, A. (2012). Hedge Risks Appropriately With Backup Suppliers. Inside Supply Management. http://hdl.handle.net/1765/119852
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Loch, CH., & Sting, F. (2009). A Seismic Shift in the Car Industry: The Management Challenge and Responsibility. Unknown, 70.
Chapter (1)
Academic (1)
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Sting, F., Braun, M., & Huchzermeier, A. (2010). Simulationsstudie: Exogene Risiken in der Beschaffung - Zusammenspiel von Diversifikation und Flexibilitat. In Supply Management Research: Aktuelle Forschungsergebnisse 2009 (pp. 147-171). Gabler. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-8349-8833-1_6
Conference proceeding (2)
Academic (1)
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Kuhn, H., & Sting, F. (2005). Bestimmung von Losgrößen, Transportzyklen und Sicherheitsbeständen in mehrstufigen Wertschopfungsketten. In Operations Research Proceedings 2005 Springer-Verlag.
Professional (1)
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Sting, F. (2009). Flexible Sourcing—Operational Hedging, Diversification and Contracting under Supply and Demand Uncertainty. In BVL 26. Deutscher Logistik-Kongress Berlin DVV Media Group.
Report (1)
Academic (1)
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Huchzermeier, A., Hoehn, M., & Sting, F. (2007). Impact Study of RFID Adoption in Manufacturer-Retailer Supply Chains: Results from a European Industry Survey. Excerpt of the EU-Project SMART.
Award
- ERIM Top Article Junior Award (2016)
Courses
OLD STYLE - Research Methods and Skills
- Study year: 2022/2023, 2021/2022, 2020/2021
- Code: BMRM3SCM
- 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
- Code: BAP 57
- ECTS: 5
Primary processes
- Study year: 2013/2014
- Code: BKB0005
- ECTS: 6 Level: Bachelor 1
Featured in the media
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Moving Front-Line Staff Between Company Locations Might Be Key To Boost Innovation
Temporary moves boost creativity according to new research from Assistant Professor of Technology and Operations Management at the RSM, Philipp Cornelius, Bilal Gokpinar from UCL School of Management and Fabian Sting from…
Tuesday, 13 April 2021 -
Innovatie een boost geven? Wissel personeel uit
Not only research & development departments ensure innovation within a company. Good innovative ideas often also come from the rest of the staff. It is not without reason that all employees are now expected to do more than perform…
Tuesday, 16 March 2021 -
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…
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.
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.
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…
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.
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…
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…
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. …
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…
Sunday, 2 September 2012
Featured on RSM Discovery
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.
