Soft OR and Practice: The Contribution of the Founders of Operations Research

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Dyson, Robert G.; O'Brien, Frances A.; Shah, Devan B.
• 署名单位: University of Warwick
• 刊物名称: OPERATIONS RESEARCH
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0030-364X
• DOI: 10.1287/opre.2020.2051
• 发表日期: 2021
• 页码: 727-738
• 关键词: practice; problem structuring; mixed modeling

摘要

This paper explores the work of some 43 founders of operations research. In particular, it considers the links between soft operations research (OR) and these founders. Several of the founders were direct influencers of the soft OR proponents, whereas others related to the context, process, and content of soft OR. Coupled with the deductive and inductive reasoning approaches of soft OR, it is argued that soft OR is a legitimate branch of OR. The paper also focuses on the embeddedness of the founders, and the soft OR proponents, in practice and argues that, for academics, engagement with practice has been and will continue to be an important driver for the health and development of operations research.