Good Management, the Missing XYZ Variables of OR Texts

Summary

Introductory operations research and management science textbooks survey a standard set of modeling techniques: linear programming, queueing theory, inventory control, decision trees, etc. The discussion throughout focuses on decision making and often explores the possibility of purchasing additional resources to improve performance. All of the modern texts provide a rich array of real-world examples of successful OR projects. By referring to recognized best practices, we argue that there is another factor: management’s multiple roles that are missing from the problem context. We believe this gap is a factor in why other approaches to problem solving are often more visible and more marketable than OR. We provide examples of discussions of managerial oversight, leadership, and effort that could easily be added to chapters on mathematical programming and queueing, so as to place OR models in a broader context and increase their value.