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ASP, The Art and Science of Practice: A Comparison of Technical and Soft Skill Requirements for Analytics and OR Professionals

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  • Matthew Liberatore

    (Villanova School of Business, Villanova University, Villanova, Pennsylvania 19085)

  • Wenhong Luo

    (Villanova School of Business, Villanova University, Villanova, Pennsylvania 19085)

Abstract

Analytics is having an increasing impact on decision making and performance within many organizations. To effectively compete in the analytics movement, operations research (OR) professionals need to understand the differences and similarities between analytics and OR. In this paper, we explore these differences and commonalities in terms of quantitative and soft skills. We support this discussion with the results of a survey of INFORMS members and readers of Analytics magazine. We find that the top five quantitative skills required for analytics are quite different from those required for OR professionals. However, the same set of soft skills is ranked within the top five for both fields. To better participate in the analytics revolution, OR professionals need to place added emphasis on data management and analysis skills, and strengthen their business-oriented skills in process and change management. Implications for OR professionals, academic institutions, and INFORMS are offered.

Suggested Citation

  • Matthew Liberatore & Wenhong Luo, 2013. "ASP, The Art and Science of Practice: A Comparison of Technical and Soft Skill Requirements for Analytics and OR Professionals," Interfaces, INFORMS, vol. 43(2), pages 194-197, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:orinte:v:43:y:2013:i:2:p:194-197
    DOI: 10.1287/inte.1120.0647
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. C Mar Molinero & A Xie, 2007. "What do UK employers want from OR/MS?," Journal of the Operational Research Society, Palgrave Macmillan;The OR Society, vol. 58(12), pages 1543-1553, December.
    2. Matthew J. Liberatore & Wenhong Luo, 2010. "The Analytics Movement: Implications for Operations Research," Interfaces, INFORMS, vol. 40(4), pages 313-324, August.
    3. M S Sodhi & B-G Son, 2010. "Content analysis of OR job advertisements to infer required skills," Journal of the Operational Research Society, Palgrave Macmillan;The OR Society, vol. 61(9), pages 1315-1327, September.
    4. R J Ormerod, 2002. "On the nature of OR: taking stock," Journal of the Operational Research Society, Palgrave Macmillan;The OR Society, vol. 53(5), pages 475-491, May.
    5. Matthew Liberatore & Wenhong Luo, 2011. "INFORMS and the Analytics Movement: The View of the Membership," Interfaces, INFORMS, vol. 41(6), pages 578-589, December.
    6. Robert G. Batson, 1987. "The Modern Role of MS/OR Professionals in Interdisciplinary Teams," Interfaces, INFORMS, vol. 17(3), pages 85-93, June.
    7. Frederic H. Murphy, 2001. "The Practice of Operations Research and the Role of Practice and Practitioners in INFORMS," Interfaces, INFORMS, vol. 31(6), pages 98-111, December.
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    Cited by:

    1. Burger, Katharina & White, Leroy & Yearworth, Mike, 2019. "Developing a smart operational research with hybrid practice theories," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 277(3), pages 1137-1150.
    2. Melissa R. Bowers & Jeffrey D. Camm & Goutam Chakraborty, 2018. "The Evolution of Analytics and Implications for Industry and Academic Programs," Interfaces, INFORMS, vol. 48(6), pages 487-499, November.
    3. Ranyard, J.C. & Fildes, R. & Hu, Tun-I, 2015. "Reassessing the scope of OR practice: The Influences of Problem Structuring Methods and the Analytics Movement," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 245(1), pages 1-13.
    4. Larry J. LeBlanc & Michael R. Bartolacci & Thomas A. Grossman, 2017. "ASP, The Art and Science of Practice: Increasing Productivity and Minimizing Errors in Operations Research Spreadsheet Models," Interfaces, INFORMS, vol. 47(3), pages 260-269, June.

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