Dr. Ayham Jaaron, Head of the Industrial Engineering Department at An-Najah University, participated in the 24th Production and Operations Management (POMS) International Conference held in Denver, USA, from May 3^rd -May 6^th 2013.

The Conference, held at the Marriott Denver City Centre, included more than 1150 researchers from over 90 different countries. The theme of the 24^th annual conference, Integrating Practice in POM Research and Teaching, was presented through 23 tracks and 2 Plenary Sessions. Half plenary sessions showcasing the increased level of influence practicing managers exert on POM research and teaching were of particular interest at this year’s conference.

Dr. Jaaron presented a paper co-authored with Professor Chris Backhouse, Vice President of Loughborough University for Strategic Planning in the UK. The paper, entitled “Enhancing Service Organizations Resilience through Systems Thinking,” looked at how researchers can use systems thinking principles to design service operations which enhance organisational resilience. The study’s findings, based on case studies of two British service organizations, show that systems thinking operationalized two-dimensional determinants, thus improving organisational resilience. Additionally, the study showed that systems thinking structured organizations along more organic lines and encouraged high employee commitment.

Dr. Jaaron’s success at the conference represented a step forward on previous extensive collaboration with researchers in the POM field. Additionally, the conference organizing committee selected Dr. Jaaron to chair the service operations track.

The conference, organized by the American Production and Operations Management Society (POMS), is one of the most significant events organized yearly to discuss production and operations management (POM).