Operations managers’ use of (ir)relevant management accounting information : A mixed-methods approach

• This paper focuses on the operations managers’ use of non-financial information in their operational work and examines whether this use increases their satisfaction with management accounting systems. Survey responses from 168 operations managers in a Swedish mining company unexpectedly demonstrate a positive relationship between operations managers’ use of traditional management accounting and management accounting system satisfaction. Our findings from a subsequent qualitative workshop in which operations managers participated suggest that trust in integrated systems is damaged by careless handling of input in such systems and interpretation difficulties caused by a lack of effective guidance from accountants. Operations managers perceive traditional management accounting as objective and appear to use it collectively as a basis for learning and improvement. Operations managers use traditional management accounting proactively with their teams, but simultaneously seek help from ‘business-oriented’ accountants to navigate in operational situations.

Subject headings

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Ekonomi och näringsliv -- Företagsekonomi (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Economics and Business -- Business Administration (hsv//eng)

Keyword

management accounting

relevance

use

operations managers

learning

trust

mixed-methods research

Accounting and Control

Redovisning och styrning

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)