Rob Glew
Assistant Professor (Teaching) of Operations Management and Data Analytics at Desautels Faculty of Management, McGill University
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Rob Glew is an Assistant Professor at Desautels Faculty of Management, McGill University and a researcher at the Institute for Manufacturing, University of Cambridge, where he obtained his PhD after 3 years in 2023. His research focuses on the relationship between operations management and the social good through DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion). This interest has led him to study operations in a variety of settings, from volunteers responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, to implementing technology to reduce food waste in grocery supply chains. Based in Montreal, Rob is now working on several projects intended to improve our understanding of how operations management can contribute contribute to aspects of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Rob teaches data analytics (MGSC662), operations management (MGCR372), project risk management (MGSC434), and statistics (MGCR271) at McGill University. At Cambridge, he taught undergraduate and postgraduate students at Cambridge University Engineering Department and the Cambridge Judge Business School, including lectures and small group supervisions. He guest lectures on data analytics and management science for the Cambridge EMBA and the McGill International Masters in Healthcare Leadership (IMHL).
Rob has received several awards for his research and teaching, including the McKinsey Risk Prize, the University of Cambridge Vice-Chancellor’s Award, a Chancellor’s Commendation, and a teaching fellowship at Queens’ College, Cambridge. He has been awarded research funding by McGill University, UKRI, Siemens UK, GS1, and Queens’ College.
Rob has collaborated extensively with industry partners on his research including the NHS, the UK Government, Tesco, Munõz Group, Lisi Aerospace, Proctor & Gamble, L’Oreal, MealCare, FabTech, Ernst & Young, and others.
Ongoing and Future Research Projects
Diversity:
Disrupted Routines: Knowing when to drop familiar tools
Working paper, under preparation for submission for Management Science Q4 2024
With Jeremy Hutchison-Krupat (University of Cambridge). This paper extends the work of “Amateurs in the Field” with an analytic model that quantifies the benefit that diversity can bring when operations must respond to a crisis and defines a threshold on the size and type of disruption that is most suited to diverse decisions-makers. We examine how a diverse group of decision-makers bring their diverse background and mental models to a decision, leading to more innovative and effective responses to the largest disruptions.
Amateurs in the Field: Towards a Theory of Operations Management Through Sensemaking
Manuscript under preparation.
With Duncan McFarlance (University of Cambridge), and Gyöngyi Kovacs & David Grant (Hanken). This paper explores the challenges and opportunities when a team of volunteers with diverse characteristics and experience collaborate in crisis response operations. Through multiple case studies spanning 2 years of continuous data collection, we find that whilst diversity limits the scope and information flow in operations, it increases innovation.
Equity:
No Spoilers: Grocery supply chain traceability and food waste
Working paper, under preparation for submission to Management Science Q2 2024.
With Javad Nasiry (McGill University). This paper examines the challenges posed to equity by food waste, where millions of tonnes of potential edible food is wasted while people go hungry. Specifically, we investigate the role of supply chain traceability systems (such as those with Blockchain as an underlying technology) in reducing perishable food waste from over-ordering and processing errors. We determine the conditions under which economic and social incentives align to maximise the value of traceability and propose policy changes to encourage this behavior.
Inclusion:
Make it Personal: Standardization and Prosocial Behavior
Resubmitted after Major Revision at M&SOM.
With Claire Senot (Tulane University). This empirical paper utilizes a selection of advanced econometric methods to understand how customization and standardization of healthcare services changes how participants engage with them (beyond willingness to pay) and particularly focuses on the social inclusion aspects. We establish that effects of standardization depend on the nature of the group receiving the treatment, including the mix of genders and ethnicities. This provides evidence that the customization decision can be used as a lever to make healthcare services more inclusive and we propose policies to accommodate the mixed effects observed in our model.
All By Myself: Minorities and shared medical appointments
Working paper, under preparation for submission to Management Science Q4 2024
With Claire Senot (Tulane University). How does being “the only women in the room” affect your response to healthcare interventions? Much has been said and studied about the benefits of shared medical appointments (SMAs). In this research project, we aim to demonstrate the nuances in the health and efficiency benefits for SMAs: it turns out that how you form groups matters.
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April 2024
Rob presented two working papers at POMS in Minneapolis: ‘Make it Personal’ (with Claire Senot) and ‘No Spoilers’ (with Javad Nasiry).
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April 2024
Rob won the Desautels Faculty of Management Teaching Innovation Award 2024 for his work in revising two core BCom courses to make the material more engaging for students and bring DEI into the classroom.
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January 2024
Rob presented with joint work with Claire Senot ‘Make it Personal: Standardization and Prosocial Behavior” at the University of Toronto Rotman Business School.
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December 2023
Rob was awarded a $5000 seed grant to begin work on a research paper looking at diversity in medical appointments and volunteering. This will support data analysis for the paper ‘All by Myself’.
“First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do.” ― Epictetus