EURO 2025 Leeds
Abstract Submission

168. The Journey from Subjecting Operations Research Problems, to Connecting Decision-Makers, to Projecting Problems onto Systems, to Protecting the Common Good

Invited abstract in session WB-3: Celebrating 50 Years of EURO (session 2), stream Celebrating 50 Years of EURO.

Wednesday, 10:30-12:00
Room: Esther Simpson 1.01

Authors (first author is the speaker)

1. Cathal MacSwiney Brugha
Centre for Business Analytics, University College Dublin

Abstract

We describe the journey through four moments in the history of operations research. World War 2 gave us linear programming. The opening up of governance in the sixties led to accepting multi-criteria. Economic development led to the need for management systems. Climate collapse and environmental destruction is starting a new era, concern for the common good.

The linear programming era was driven by military powers maximising gain, and the need to do operations research into the next day’s missions, where the problems were subject to ever-changing constraints such as airplanes, pilots, aviation fuel, targets, and bombs. It draws from mathematics and information technology.

The multicriteria era considered where some decision-makers have conflicting objectives, and the political challenge to connect them, discover compatible goals, that minimize decision-makers’ pain. It draws from Personal Construct Theory in Psychology, Grounded Theory in Sociology, Critical Realism in the Philosophy of Science, and Decision Science in Nomology or General Philosophy.

In the systems era possessors of businesses, corporates and administrations seek to minimize blame for making mistakes by projecting their problems onto systems for Routing, Strategy, Management, Natural Computing, and Conflict Resolution.

The common good era is driven by the public concern to minimize shame by protecting the future against war, poverty and environmental destruction.

Keywords

Status: accepted

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