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Operational research practice as storytelling

Author

Listed:
  • J H Klein

    (School of Management, University of Southampton)

  • N A D Connell

    (School of Management, University of Southampton)

  • E Meyer

    (Health Care Innovation Unit, University of Southampton)

Abstract

This paper considers the role of storytelling in operational research (OR) practice. We review the debate on successful OR practice, and adopt the perspective of OR as a process in which OR analysts seek to persuade their clients by means of changing client knowledge. We introduce storytelling in the context of OR practice, and argue that there are two important types of OR story: the story of the content of an OR model and the story of the intervention that generated the model of which the content story can be seen as a ‘sub-plot’. We illustrate these ideas with some examples from past practice. We discuss further the nature of OR intervention as story, and consider performative aspects of stories. We relate the use of storytelling in OR practice to the broader area of organizational narrative engineering: the systematic and deliberate use of storytelling perspectives to bring about change within organizations. We consider the evaluation of the potential benefits of storytelling within organizations. The paper offers a contribution that is both descriptive—reflecting on the ways in which OR practice might be seen as storytelling—and prescriptive—offering some practical guidance to those keen to apply storytelling as an OR approach.

Suggested Citation

  • J H Klein & N A D Connell & E Meyer, 2007. "Operational research practice as storytelling," Journal of the Operational Research Society, Palgrave Macmillan;The OR Society, vol. 58(12), pages 1535-1542, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:jorsoc:v:58:y:2007:i:12:d:10.1057_palgrave.jors.2602277
    DOI: 10.1057/palgrave.jors.2602277
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Czarniawska, Barbara, 2004. "Femmes Fatales in Finance, or Women and the City," GRI-rapport 2004:8, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg Research Institute GRI.
    2. N A D Connell, 2001. "Evaluating soft OR: some reflections on an apparently ‘unsuccessful’ implementation using a Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) based approach," Journal of the Operational Research Society, Palgrave Macmillan;The OR Society, vol. 52(2), pages 150-160, February.
    3. Pidd, Michael, 1995. "Pictures from an exhibition: Images of OR/MS," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 81(3), pages 479-488, March.
    4. Klein, JH & Powell, PL, 1991. "Simple heuristic methods for network routeing: A case study," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 19(2-3), pages 137-148.
    5. Timothy Clark & Graeme Salaman, 1998. "Telling Tales: Management Gurus' Narratives and the Construction of Managerial Identity," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 35(2), pages 137-161, March.
    6. R J Ormerod, 2001. "The success and failure of methodologies—a comment on Connell (2001): evaluating soft OR," Journal of the Operational Research Society, Palgrave Macmillan;The OR Society, vol. 52(10), pages 1176-1179, October.
    7. Klein, Jonathan H., 2000. "Telling stories: a metagame description of a conflict," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 28(1), pages 1-15, February.
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    Cited by:

    1. Klein, Jonathan H., 2009. "Ackoff's Fables revisited: stories to inform operational research practice," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 37(3), pages 615-623, June.
    2. Alessandra Trimarchi & Jan Bavel, 2020. "Partners’ Educational Characteristics and Fertility: Disentangling the Effects of Earning Potential and Unemployment Risk on Second Births," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 36(3), pages 439-464, July.
    3. Renzi, Alessandra, 2011. "From Collectives to Connectives: Italian Media Activism and the Repurposing of the Social," EconStor Theses, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, number 214894, July.
    4. Edoardo Fregonese & Isabella M. Lami & Elena Todella, 2020. "Aesthetic Perspectives in Group Decision and Negotiation Practice," Group Decision and Negotiation, Springer, vol. 29(6), pages 993-1019, December.
    5. W Hobbs & N J Curtis, 2011. "Theory and application of perceptual positions to data collection and analysis in military environments," Journal of the Operational Research Society, Palgrave Macmillan;The OR Society, vol. 62(9), pages 1753-1764, September.
    6. Gregory, Amanda J. & Atkins, Jonathan P., 2018. "Community Operational Research and Citizen Science: Two icons in need of each other?," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 268(3), pages 1111-1124.

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