OSCM Distinguished Scholars

Sean Handley

Sean M. Handley is the department chair, professor and Distinguished Moore Research Fellow in the department of management science. Handley previously served on the faculty at the University of Notre Dame and Rutgers University. He obtained his Ph.D. and MBA from The Ohio State University, and received his B.S. in Industrial Management from the University of Cincinnati. Prior to entering academics, Handley served in multiple operational and supply chain roles working for a logistics subsidiary of Honda Motor, CEVA Logistics (formerly CTI), and GE Aviation among others. Handley is teaching, or has taught, graduate and undergraduate courses on operations and supply chain management, process analytics, business statistics, and procurement management and global sourcing. 

Handley’s primary scholarly interests lie in studying the challenges and approaches to managing outsourced business processes with a particular interest in: formal and informal mechanisms for managing inter-organizational relationships, the management of offshore outsourcing engagements, and quality management with outsourced manufacturing. His research has been published in several leading academic journals including  Journal of Operations Management, Production and Operations Management, Decision Sciences, Strategic Management Journal, MIS Quarterly and Journal of Business Logistics. He serves on the editorial review board for Production and Operations Management and Journal of Supply Chain Management, and is an associate editor for the Journal of Operations Management.

It was really a few things. One is that, from a research perspective, I’ve always liked solving problems. I’ve always liked math and statistics, and just the nature of research appealed to me, especially in terms of doing empirical research. Probably more of an influence, though, is that both my parents were teachers. They were high school teachers for many years, and then my dad, toward the end of his career, was an adjunct professor at Ohio University. So, I think I’ve always had the teaching bug, or at the very least, a real respect for education and educators.

It was really that family influence combined with my natural interests that made me think academia would be a good fit. And if I’m being completely honest, I was also drawn to the flexibility of the career. When I was getting my MBA, I got to know some of my professors a little better, and I liked the idea that in this career you’re judged on your performance—the outcomes in your research and in the classroom—not necessarily on the details of how you spend every minute of your day. I’ve always hated micromanagement. I used to work for a subsidiary of Honda, and over time it became too corporate for me. My boss was great, and I loved the company, but the bureaucracy and the 9-to-5 structure never appealed to me. So, the idea that in academia you are accountable for your work, but how you do it is largely up to you, really fit with what I envisioned for a rewarding career.

I’d say there were a few. Probably the first one was deciding who I wanted to work with as my dissertation advisor. My advisor was W.C. Benton. At first, I was very intimidated—he can be tough. But working with him really shaped the entire trajectory of my career. He was extremely demanding and pushed me hard, but also very supportive. Over time, our relationship grew into a deep friendship, and even now he’ll give me advice—sometimes even when I don’t want it! Choosing him as my advisor was definitely one of the most important decisions in my career.

The other defining moments for me have been the career moves I’ve made. South Carolina is the third school I’ve been at, which isn’t necessarily the right path for everybody, but it has worked for me. I’ve really enjoyed the new challenges and opportunities that came with changing schools. Each move allowed me to meet different people, not only in our field but in other disciplines as well. Being at different institutions exposes you to different structures, committees, and networks, and it really expanded my professional relationships. Each school offered me something new, and I feel like those moves helped me grow and take on a diversity of opportunities.

I don’t know if I have any really fun facts! My family and I like to travel, like a lot of people. My wife and I have two boys (18 and 11), and we do a lot of outdoor activities together—hiking, biking, kayaking, just being outside. Having two kids who are involved in many activities takes up a lot of time outside of work, so that keeps me busy. But, I wouldn’t change that for anything.

For myself, I like to read, and I’ve always got a book going. I don’t really enjoy sitting in front of the TV (unless I am watching college football), so I need something else to keep my mind occupied. Sometimes that’s reading, sometimes it’s puzzles—like jigsaw puzzles. I like them because they occupy my mind in a different way, and it helps me think about something else while I do them.