Rob Glew

Assistant Professor (Teaching) of Operations Management and Data Analytics

Associate Director, Advanced Technologies, AI, and Analytics

Program Director, Masters of Managemet in Analytics (MMA), Online

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 work focuses on three important areas: (1) managing and innovating in a world of disruptive technologies, (2) using data to tackle DEI issues in volunteering, and (3) using advanced technologies to reduce food waste. As a scholar, Rob aims to pursue interesting, impactful work, including collaborations with industry. His methodological specialties are machine learning (for empirical work), game theory, and mechanism design.

As Associate Director of Advanced Technologies, AI, and Analytics (AAAI) at McGill, Rob is uniquely positioned at the intersection of research, practice, and teaching for some of the most important issues facing the modern business world. Through AAAI, Rob has organized events and workshops to educate students and disseminate research on AI and analytics to business practice. His next project is a Canada-wide business AI-capability survey.

Rob teaches data analytics (MGSC662), operations management (MGCR372), operations research (MGSC373), 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, artificial intelligence, 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.

Minority Figures: The Influence of Tokenism on Team Prosocial Behavior

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 how you work with others? In this research project, we aim to demonstrate the nuances that arise from increasing diversity in organizations. We show that “tokenism” can reduce prosocial behavior, but that the effect can be mitigated by balancing the other members of the team correctly.

  • April 2024

    Rob presented two working papers at POMS in Minneapolis: ‘Make it Personal’ (with Claire Senot) and ‘No Spoilers’ (with Javad Nasiry).

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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