Exploration of the impact of RFID and agent technology on operations management

The paper describes and details a design science approach for how to explore the impact of emergent technologies on the performance frontier in operations management. The process is illustrated through an in-depth case where the performance frontier was affected through finding RFID and agent applications that enable a move to simpler integrating mechanisms. The discovered solution designs simplified the information chain and reduced the need for management interventions in the organization and operation of customized delivery of products and services. The case example also illustrates how a successful solution design does not automatically translate to performance improvements but requires step-wise models for how to develop and introduce the solutions in practice. In the analysis the fundamental concept of a performance frontier in operations management remains intact, yet the conclusion of the study is that the performance frontier is not possible to determine until the applications of new and radical technologies have been explored.