Professor of Operations & Technology Management
Co-Director of the Cambridge Centre for Chinese Management
Dipl.-Wirtsch.-Ing. (Darmstadt Institute of Technology), MBA (University of Tennessee, Knoxville), PhD (Stanford Graduate School of Business)
Research interests
How organisations make innovation happen; this includes innovation in products as well as processes and practices, and it focuses on what happens on the ground rather than just strategising at an aggregate level. The topic is interdisciplinary and stretches from project management and processes (operations), to strategic portfolios and strategy deployment (strategy), to organisational structures and cultural habits (sociology), and to the motivation of educated and autonomous personnel (psychology).
Specifically, research interests span six broad areas:
- Concurrent engineering and coordination in complex systems
- Managing highly novel, uncertain and ambiguous initiatives
- Resource allocation, portfolio management, and strategy deployment
- Performance measurement in R&D and uncertain projects
- Incentives, motivation and cultural evolution (behavioural economics)
- Manufacturing management and strategy deployment
Subject group: Operations & Technology Management
Professional experience
Professor Christoph H Loch is Professor of Operations & Technology Management at Cambridge Judge Business School (CJBS), and from 2011-2021 he served as the Director (Dean) of the School. A university business school combines academic activities (published research and degree teaching) with commercial activities in competitive markets (programmes and executive education). Under his leadership since 2011, CJBS grew in revenue from £24 million in 2011/12 to £60 million in 2019/20, breaking even every year while continuing to make a financial contribution to the University of Cambridge. On the teaching side, CJBS’s ranked programmes (MBA, EMBA, Master of Finance and Executive Education) were in 2021 all ranked in the FT Global Top 20 (up from only one programme in 2011). On the research side, the 2021 Research Evaluation Framework (REF) exercise that the UK government conducts every six years ranked CJBS as the best research school of all UK business schools (after a second place in 2014). This performance was enabled by a research strategy emphasising problem-solving engagements with organisations (commercial or non-profit) to connect knowledge creation with practical impact, fostering a positive reinforcement between teaching and research.
For example, CJBS has 19 research centres that are thought leaders in their areas and reach out to organisations to help them. In this context, CJBS has become a leader in entrepreneurship impact and education (both technology and social ventures), supporting the Cambridge Cluster (the largest entrepreneurial cluster in Europe).
As an academic, Professor Loch has continued to teach and conduct research. His experience lies in the management of innovation in organisations, project management, and the emotional side of motivation of professional personnel. He was identified as one of the top 10 innovation researchers worldwide in the Journal of Product Innovation Management in 2012, and he was identified as one of the top 10 researchers worldwide in operations management in the journal Decision Sciences in 2020.
Professor Loch has been the Chairman of the Behavioral Operations Management section of INFORMS (2008-2010), Department Editor for both Management Science (R&D and Innovation department) (2004-2009) and Production and Operations Management (2003-2007, and the special issue on behavioural operations management in 2011), and Associate Editor of Management Science, (2000-2004, 2009-2011), Manufacturing and Service Operations Management (M&SOM) (2003-2011) and Operations Research (1998-2004).
Previous appointments
Prior to joining the Business School, Professor Loch was the GlaxoSmithKline Chaired Professor of Corporate Innovation (2006-2011), Professor of Technology and Operations Management (2001-2011) and Assistant and Associate Professor (1994-2001) at INSEAD, Fontainebleau, France. From 2009 to 2010 he was Visiting Professor of Operations Management at the Stockholm School of Economics in Sweden, and in 2002 and 2003 was Visiting Professor in the Information Dynamics Lab at Hewlett Packard Labs in Palo Alto, California.
Awards & honours
- Research Achievement Award, Project Management Institute (PMI), 2011
- Elected Fellow of the POMS Product Innovation and Technology Management College, 2010
- Emerald Excellence Award for one of the 50 most cited papers, 2008
- ECCH Best Case Award for the case “Gemstone”, 2000
Selected publications
Here are a selection of Christoph Loch’s publications. Please see the “Selected publications” tab above for a more comprehensive list.
Jimoh, I.F., Loch, C.H. and Sengupta, K. (2022) How megaprojects are damaging Nigeria and how to fix it: a practical guide to mastering very large government projects. London: Palgrave MacMillan, (DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-96474-0)
Ladas, K., Kavadias, S. and Loch, C. (2022) “Product selling versus pay-per-use service: a strategic analysis of competing business models.” Management Science, 68(7): 4755-5555 (DOI: 10.1287/mnsc.2021.4125)
Loch, C., Kavadias, S. and Yang, B.C. (2021) “Making strategy execution work.” Management and Business Review, 1(1): 25-40
Kattuman, P., Loch, C. and Kurchian, C. (2019) “Management succession and success in a professional soccer team.” PLoS ONE, 14(3): e0212634 (DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0212634)
Feduzi, A., Runde, J., Cabantous, L., Faulkner, P. and Loch, C. (2018) “Updating ‘small world representations’ in strategic decision-making under extreme uncertainty.” Academy of Management Proceedings, 2018(1) (DOI: 10.5465/AMBPP.2018.141)
Loch, C., Mähring, M. and Sommer, S. (2018) “Supervising projects you don’t (fully) understand lessons for effective project governance by steering committees.” California Management Review, 59(2): 45-67 (DOI: 10.1177/0008125617697944)
Journal articles
Huberman, B.A. and Loch, C.H. (1996) “Collaboration, motivation, and the size of organizations.” Journal of Organizational Computing and Electronic Commerce, 6(2): 109-130 (DOI: 10.1080/10919399609540272)
Loch, C.H., Stein, L. and Terwiesch, C. (1996) “Measuring development performance in the electronics industry.” Journal of Product Innovation Management, 13(1): 3-20 (DOI: 10.1111/1540-5885.1310003)
Terwiesch, C., Loch, C.H. and Niederkofler, M. (1998) “When product development performance makes a difference: a statistical analysis in the electronics industry.” Journal of Product Innovation Management, 15: 3-15 (DOI: 10.1111/1540-5885.1510003)
Loch, C.H. and Terwiesch, C. (1998) “Communication and uncertainty in concurrent engineering.” Management Science, 44(8): 1032-1048 (DOI: 10.1287/mnsc.44.8.1032)
Loch, C.H. and Terwiesch, C. (1999) “Accelerating the process of engineering change orders: capacity and congestion effects.” Journal of Product Innovation Management, 16: 145-159
Terwiesch, C. and Loch, C.H. (1999) “Managing the process of engineering change orders.” Journal of Product Innovation Management, 16(2): 160-172 (DOI: 10.1111/1540-5885.1620160)
Loch, C. and Huberman, B. (1999) “A punctuated equilibrium model of technology diffusion.” Management Science, 45(2): 160-177
Terwiesch, C. and Loch, C. (1999) “Measuring the effectiveness of overlapping development activities.” Management Science, 45(4): 455-465
Loch, C., Huberman, B. and Stout, S. (2000) “Status competition and performance in work groups.” Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 43(1): 35-55
Loch, C., Pich, M., Terwiesch, C. and Urbschat, M. (2001) “Selecting R&D projects at BMW: a case study of adopting mathematical programming models.” IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, 48(1): 70-80
Huchzermeier, A. and Loch, C. (2001) “Project management under risk: using the real options approach to evaluate flexibility in R&D.” Management Science, 47(1): 85-101
Loch, C. Terwiesch, C. and Thomke, S. (2001) “Parallel and sequential testing of design alternatives.” Management Science, 47(5): 663-678
Loch, C. and Bode-Greuel, K. (2001) “Evaluating growth options as sources of value for pharmaceutical research projects.” R&D Management, 31(2): 231 – 248
von Branconi, C. and Loch, C. (2002) “Contracting for major projects: eight business levers for top management.” International Journal of Project Management, 22(2): 119-130
Loch, C. and Tapper, S. (2002) “Implementing a strategy-driven performance measurement system for an applied research group.” Journal of Product Innovation Management, 19(3): 185-198
Loch, C. and Kavadias, S. (2002) “Dynamic portfolio selection of NPD programs using marginal returns.” Management Science, 48(10): 1227-1241
Loch, C., Mihm, J. and Huchzermeier, A. (2003) “Concurrent engineering and design oscillations in complex engineering projects.” Concurrent Engineering Research and Applications, 11(3): 187-200
Mihm, J., Loch, C. and Huchzermeier, A. (2003) “Problem solving oscillations in complex engineering projects.” Management Science, 49(6): 733-750
Kavadias, S. and Loch, C. (2003) “Optimal project sequencing with recourse at a scarce resource.” Production and Operations Management, 12(4): 433-444
Lovejoy, W. and Loch, C. (2003) “Minimal and maximal characteristic path lengths in connected sociomatrices.” Social Networks, 25(4): 333-347
Terwiesch, C. and Loch, C. (2004) “Collaborative prototyping and the pricing of customized products.” Management Science, 50(2): 145-148
Demeester, L., Eichler, K. and Loch, C. (2004) “What the biological cell can teach us about manufacturing.” Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, 6(2): 115-132
Huberman, B., Loch, C. and Önçüler, A. (2004) “Status as a valued resource.” Social Psychology Quarterly, 67(1): 103-114
Sommer, S.C. and Loch, C.H. (2004) “Selectionism and learning in projects with complexity and unforeseeable uncertainty.” Management Science, 50(10): 1334-1347
Krishnan, V. and Loch, C.H. (2005) “A retrospective look at Production and Operations Management articles on new product development.” Production and Operations Management, 14(4): 433-441
Loch, C.H. and Terwiesch, C. (2005) “Rush and be wrong or wait and be late? Seven principles of when to commit to real time information.” Production and Operations Management, 14(3): 331-343
Loch, C.H., Galunic, D.C. and Schneider, S. (2006) “Balancing cooperation and competition in human groups: the role of emotional algorithms and evolution.” Managerial and Decision Economics, 27: 217-233
Loch, C.H. and Wu, Y. (2007) “Behavioral operations management.” Foundations and Trends in Technology, Information and Operations Management, 1(3): 121-232 (DOI: 10.1561/0200000009)
Loch, C.H. and Wu, Y. (2008) “Social preferences and supply chain performance: an experimental study.” Management Science, 54(11): 1835-1849
Wu, Y., Loch, C.H. and Van Der Heyden, L. (2008) “A model of fair process and its limits.” Manufacturing and Service Operations Management, 10(4): 637-653
Loch, C.H., Solt, M.E. and Bailey, E. (2009) “Diagnosing unforeseeable uncertainty in a new venture.” Journal of Product Innovation Management,25(1): 28-46 (Winner of an Emerald top 50 citation award in 2009)
Qu, C., Loch, C.H. and Kavadias, S. (2009) “Product positioning in a two-dimensional market space.” Production and Operations Management, 18(3): 315-332
Sommer, S.C. and Loch, C.H. (2009) “Incomplete incentive contracts under ambiguity and complexity.” Production and Operations Management, 18(2): 185-196
Sommer, S.C., Loch, C.H. and Dong, J. (2009) “Managing complexity and unforeseeable uncertainty in startup companies: an empirical study.” Organization Science, 20(1): 118-133
Lenfle, S. and Loch, C.H. (2010) “Lost roots: how project management came to emphasize control over flexibility and novelty.” California Management Review, 53(1): 32-55
Loch, C.H., Sting, F.J., Bauer, N. and Mauermann, H. (2010) “How BMW is defusing the demographic time bomb.” Harvard Business Review, 88(3): 99-104
Mihm, J., Loch, C.H., Wilkinson, D. and Huberman, B.A. (2010) “Hierarchical structure and search in complex organizations.” Management Science, 56(5): 831-848
Wu, Y., Loch, C.H. and Ahmad, G. (2011) “Status and relationships in social dilemmas of teams.” Journal of Operations Management, 29(7-8): 650-662 (DOI: 10.1016/j.jom.2011.03.004)
Cui, Z., Loch, C., Grossmann, B. and He, R. (2012) “How provider selection and management contribute to successful innovation outsourcing: an empirical study at Siemens.” Production and Operations Management, 21(1): 29-48 (DOI: 10.1111/j.1937-5956.2011.01237.x)
Loch, C.H, Sting, F., Huchzermeier, A. and Decker, C. (2012) “Finding the profit in fairness: in an industry widely viewed as exploitative, Germany’s TeamBank has built a brand on being equitable.” Harvard Business Review, 90(9): 111-115
Loch, C., Sengupta, K. and Ghufran Ahmad, M. (2013) “The microevolution of routines: how problem solving and social preferences interact.” Organization Science, 24(1): 99-115 (DOI: 10.1287/orsc.1110.0719)
Urda, J. and Loch, C.H. (2013) “Social preferences and emotions as regulators of behavior in processes.” Journal of Operations Management, 31(1), 6-23
Kim, Y.H., Sting, F.J. and Loch, C.H. (2014) “Top-down, bottom-up, or both? Toward an integrative perspective on operations strategy formation.” Journal of Operations Management, 32(7-8): 462-474 (DOI: 10.1016/j.jom.2014.09.005)
Loch, C.H. and Kavadias, S. (2015) “Innovation strategy.” European Business Review, January-February: 62-66
Sting, F.J. and Loch, C.H. (2015) “Implementing operations strategy: how vertical and horizontal coordination interact.” Production and Operations Management, 25(7): 1177-1193 (DOI: 10.1111/poms.12537)
Sting, F., Loch, C.H. and Stempfhuber, D. (2015) “Accelerating projects by encouraging help.” MIT Sloan Management Review, 56(3): 33-41 (Winner of the Richard Beckhard Memorial Prize)
Kavadias, S., Ladas, K. and Loch, C. (2016) “The transformative business model: how to tell if you have one.” Harvard Business Review, 94(10): 91-98
Loch, C.H. (2017) “Creativity and risk taking aren’t rational: behavioral operations in MOT.” Production and Operations Management, 26(4): 591–604 (DOI: 10.1111/poms.12666)
Feduzi, A., Runde, J., Cabantous, L., Faulkner, P. and Loch, C. (2018) “Updating ‘small world representations’ in strategic decision-making under extreme uncertainty.” Academy of Management Proceedings, 2018(1) (DOI: 10.5465/AMBPP.2018.141)
Loch, C., Mähring, M. and Sommer, S. (2018) “Supervising projects you don’t (fully) understand lessons for effective project governance by steering committees.” California Management Review, 59(2): 45-67 (DOI: 10.1177/0008125617697944)
Kattuman, P., Loch, C. and Kurchian, C. (2019) “Management succession and success in a professional soccer team.” PLoS ONE, 14(3): e0212634 (DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0212634)
Loch, C. and Sommer, S. (2019) “The tension between flexible goals and managerial control in exploratory projects.” Project Management Journal, 50(5): 524-537 (DOI: 10.1177/8756972819870062)
Ahmad, M.G. and Loch, C. (2020) “What do the followers want? The core functions of leadership.” Leadership Quarterly, 31(2): 101293 (DOI: 10.1016/j.leaqua.2019.04.003)
Loch, C., Kavadias, S. and Yang, B.C. (2021) “Making strategy execution work.” Management and Business Review, 1(1): 25-40
Soufani, K. and Loch, C. (2021) “Circular supply chains are more sustainable. Why are they so rare?” Harvard Business Review, 15 June 2021
Feduzi, A., Faulkner, P., Runde, J., Cabantous, L. and Loch, C.H. (2022) “Heuristic methods for updating small world representations in strategic situations of Knightian uncertainty.” Academy of Management Review, 47(3): 402-424 (DOI: 10.5465/amr.2018.0235)
Ladas, K., Kavadias, S. and Loch, C. (2022) “Product selling versus pay-per-use service: a strategic analysis of competing business models.” Management Science, 68(7): 4755-5555 (DOI: 10.1287/mnsc.2021.4125)
Si, H., Kavadias, S. and Loch, C. (2022) “Managing innovation portfolios: from project selection to portfolio design.” Production and Operations Management, 31(12): 4572-4588 (DOI: 10.1111/poms.13860)
Books, monographs, reports & case studies
Loch, C.H., De Meyer, A. and Pich, M.T. (2006) Managing the unknown: a new way of managing high uncertainty and risk in projects. New York, NY: John Wiley.
Loch, C.H. and Kavadias, S. (eds.) (2007) Handbook of new product development management. Oxford: Butterworth Heinemann Elsevier.
Loch, C.H., Chick, S. and Huchzermeier, A. (2008) Management quality and competitiveness: lessons from the Industrial Excellence Award. Berlin, Germany: Springer.
Jimoh, I.F., Loch, C.H. and Sengupta, K. (2022) How megaprojects are damaging Nigeria and how to fix it: a practical guide to mastering very large government projects. London: Palgrave MacMillan, (DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-96474-0)
Davies, A., Lenfle, S., Loch, C. and Midler, C. (eds.) (2023) Handbook of project and innovation management. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar. (forthcoming)
Book chapters
Loch, C.H. and Kavadias, S. (2011) “Implementing strategy through projects.” In: Morris, P., Pinto, J. and Söderlund, J. (eds.) The Oxford handbook on the management of projects. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp.224-251
Loch, C.H. (2016) “It’s not just others: conquering the hubris in yourself.” In: Garrard, P. and Robinson, G. (eds.) The intoxication of power. Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan, pp.101-116
Loch, C.H. (2017) “Has megaproject management lost its way? Lessons from history.” In Flyvbjerg, B. (ed.) The Oxford handbook of megaproject management. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp.21-38
Jimoh, I.F., Loch, C.H. and Sengupta, K. (2022) “Corruption in large government projects not only inflates the budget but reduces managerial effectiveness.” In: Lee, H., Huchzermeier, A., Cui, S. and Ernst, R. (eds.) Creating values with operations and analytics: a tribute to the contributions of Professor Morris Cohen (Springer Series in Supply Chain Management). Cham: Springer, pp.105-132
Loch, C., Kavadias, S. and Sommer, S. (2023) “A cultural evolution theory of balancing innovative and routine projects.” In: Davies, A., Lenfle, S., Loch, C. and Midler, C. (eds.) Handbook of project and innovation management. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar (forthcoming)
Loch, C., Sommer, S. and Jiang, M. (2023) “Managing unforeseeable uncertainty through learning.” In: Davies, A., Lenfle, S., Loch, C. and Midler, C. (eds.) Handbook of project and innovation management. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar (forthcoming)
