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

During the past 25 years, the discipline of OR has become increasingly self-conscious and self-critical of its foundations (Dando and Bennett,1981: Jackson and Keys, 1987). Whereas problems were thought to exist out there, in the world, a growing number of OR academics and practitioners now believe that traditional, ’hard’ OR is itself as much a source of problems as it is a means of resolving them. Specifically, it has been suggested that these problems arise from an incapacity to appreciate the reflexive, socially constructed nature of problem situations. As faith in the assumptions of ’hard’ OR has been shaken, alternative, ’softer1 methodologies have emerged to challenge its supremacy. In turn, these efforts to break out of the traditional mould of OR have stimulated a critical evaluation of the adequacy of their challenge.

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