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Publications
  • 2017
  • Working Paper
  • HBS Working Paper Series

Discretionary Task Ordering: Queue Management in Radiological Services

By: Maria Ibanez, Jonathan R. Clark, Robert S. Huckman and Bradley R. Staats
  • Format:Print
  • | Language:English
  • | Pages:34
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Abstract

Work scheduling research typically prescribes task sequences implemented by managers. Yet employees often have discretion to deviate from their prescribed sequence. Using data from 2.4 million radiological diagnoses, we find that doctors prioritize similar tasks (batching) and those tasks they expect to complete faster (shortest expected processing time). Moreover, they exercise more discretion as they accumulate experience. Exploiting random assignment of tasks to doctors’ queues, instrumental variable models reveal that these deviations erode productivity. This productivity decline lessens as doctors learn from experience. Prioritizing the shortest tasks is particularly detrimental to productivity. Actively grouping similar tasks also reduces productivity, in stark contrast to productivity gains from exogenous grouping, indicating deviation costs outweigh benefits from repetition. By analyzing task completion times, our work highlights the tradeoffs between the time required to exercise discretion and the potential gains from doing so, which has implications for how discretion over scheduling should be delegated.

Keywords

Discretion; Scheduling; Queue; Healthcare; Learning; Experience; Decentralization; Delegation; Behavioral Operations; Operations; Service Operations; Service Delivery; Performance; Performance Effectiveness; Performance Efficiency; Performance Improvement; Performance Productivity; Decisions; Time Management; Cost vs Benefits; Health Industry

Citation

Ibanez, Maria, Jonathan R. Clark, Robert S. Huckman, and Bradley R. Staats. "Discretionary Task Ordering: Queue Management in Radiological Services." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 16-051, October 2015. (Revised March 2017.)
  • SSRN

About The Author

Robert S. Huckman

Technology and Operations Management
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Related Work

    • 2017
    • Faculty Research

    Discretionary Task Ordering: Queue Management in Radiological Services

    By: Maria Ibanez, Jonathan R. Clark, Robert S. Huckman and Bradley R. Staats
Related Work
  • Discretionary Task Ordering: Queue Management in Radiological Services By: Maria Ibanez, Jonathan R. Clark, Robert S. Huckman and Bradley R. Staats
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