How OR/MS reflects cultural differences
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Comment rational analysis of facts and figures, or they may be
How OR/MS reflects cultural differences1
driven by beliefs in harmony and consensus, or they may
be more emotional.
HEINER MÜLLER-MERBACH
In any case, intervention,
participation and interaction of OR/MS has to be adapted to the management and leadership style.
What are the differences between OR/MS in different
countries, such as the UK and North America, Japan and Continental Europe, China and India, Australia and South Africa, Latin America and Southern Europe, etc.?
Different systems of co-determination and industrial democracy are being practised. The systems of education are quite different, including
There are no differences for those who understand OR as a subset of mathematics. Linear programming, graphs, queues, simulation, branch and bound, dynamic programming, stochastic processes - all the models structures (in mathematical terms), the algorithms, the theorems and proofs are identical.
those of higher education. Some countries offer one
degree university courses (i.e. the Diploma) while others
offer two degree courses (i.e. Bachelor and Master). There are differences in the disciplines too. Some countries provide degrees in statistics, others do not; some provide degrees in industrial engineering and
others do not; in some countries business administration has a rich tradition, but in others it has not. Due to these
The differences are fundamental, however, for those who understand OR/MS as intervention into management
differences one may find OR/MS education in close neighbourhood to statisics, industrial engineering,
processes, participation in problem-solving and
decision-making, and interaction with leaders. The cultural structures are different, the means and ends differ, the problems have different properties and the
production engineering, business administration,
mathematics, or computer sciences, etc., respectively. As a consequence, the OR/MS expertise finds quite
decision processes vary from country to country. Hence, the conditions for OR/MS differ remarkably (even if the
different channels to industrial and administrative practice.
mathematical tools remain the same), and OR/MS as such has quite a different meaning and plays quite a
OR/MS is in a similar position to many other new fields
different role in different countries. In fact, it is one of the purposes of IFORS to make the differences understood
of scientific endeavour which have the potential of providing management and decision support, i.e.
and to maintain the international exchange in order to
cybernetics, business informatics, artificial intelligence, expert systems, etc. As long as a merely technical
understand such differences.
understanding of such fields is prevailing, it can be anticipated that their practical influence will be quite limited. But as soon as the communities of such
Why are the conditions different?
The sources of wealth are different. Some nations have a mainly agricultural production structure, others depend upo
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