Operational Research and the Social Sciences

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xviii

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2. O.R. and The Social Sciences Plenary Sessions

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1

      PDF

   2. A Behavioural Science Perspective on Operational Research Practice

      • J. G. Burgoyne

      Pages 3-12

   3. An Operational Researcher Looks at the Social Sciences

      • A. D. J. Flowerdew

      Pages 13-18

   4. On Flexibility and Freedom

      • R. L. Ackoff

      Pages 19-34

   5. OR and Social Science: Fundamental Thoughts

      • P. B. Checkland

      Pages 35-41

   6. Operational Research as Negotiation

      • Colin Eden

      Pages 43-50

   7. The Visibility of Social Systems

      • Robert Cooper

      Pages 51-57

   8. Post Modernism: Threat or Opportunity?

      • G. Burrell

      Pages 59-64

   9. Or as a Problem Situation: From Soft Systems Methodology to Critical Science

      • H. Willmott

      Pages 65-78

   10. Critical Heuristics of Social Systems Design

       • W. Ulrich

       Pages 79-87

   11. OR : Social Science or Barbarism

       • J. Rosenhead

       Pages 89-96

   12. On Technical, Pragmatic and Ethical Action. A challenge for OR?

       • H. Müller-Merbach

       Pages 97-104

3. O.R. As a Social Science

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 105-105

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   2. Operational Research as a Social Science

      • Lynda Davies

      Pages 107-109

   3. Social Sciences for O.R. — An Overview

      • Per S. Agrell

      Pages 111-116

   4. O.R. Images in Organisation Theory: A Critique

      • Haridimos Tsoukas

      Pages 117-122

   5. Social Science and OR Technology

      • Paul Keys

      Pages 123-126

   6. O.R. — Technology

      • René Victor Valqui Vidal

      Pages 127-132

   7. Auto-Reflexive Algondonic Looping of Pedagogic Operational Research

      • Allan L. Ward

      Pages 133-137

Twenty five years ago, in 1964, The Operational Research Society's first International Conference (held at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge) took as its theme "Operational Research and the Social Sciences". The Conference sessions were organised around topics such as: Organisations and Control; Social Effects of Policies; Conflict Resolution; The Systems Concept; Models, Decisions and Operational Research. An examination of the published proceedings (J.R.Lawrence ed., 1966, Operational Research and the Social Sciences, Tavistock, London) reveals a distinct contrast between the types of contribution made by the representatives of the two academic communities involved. Nevertheless, the Conference served to break down some barriers, largely of ignorance about the objects, methods and findings of each concern. In the ensuing twenty five years, although debate has continued about the relationship between OR and the social sciences, mutual understanding has proved more difficult to achieve than many must have hoped for in 1964.

• Information
• Operational Research
• Operations Research
• calculus
• communication
• conflict management
• decision theory
• learning
• model
• modeling
• organization
• planning
• police
• psychology
• statistical method
• complexity

• University of Hull, Hull, UK

  M. C. Jackson, P. Keys

• University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK

  S. A. Cropper

Policies and ethics