Cited by 240Big Data and Business IntelligenceManagement and Optimization TechniquesComplex Systems and Decision Making

Operational research from Taylorism to Terabytes: A research agenda for the analytics age

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Mortenson, Michael J., Doherty, Neil F., Robinson, Stewart·2015·European Journal of Operational Research

Abstract

The growing attention and prominence afforded to analytics presents a genuine challenge for the operational research community. Many in the community have recognised this growth and sought to align themselves with analytics. For instance, the US operational research society INFORMS now offers analytics related conferences, certification and a magazine. However, as shown in this research, the volume of analytics-orientated studies in journals associated with operational research is comparatively low. This paper seeks to address this paradox by seeking to better understand what analytics is, and how operational research is related to it. To do so literature from a range of academic disciplines is analysed, in what is conceived as concurrent histories in the shared tradition of a management paradigm spread over the last 100 years. The findings of this analysis reveal new insights as to how operational research exists within an ecosystem shared with several other disciplines, and how interactions and ripple effects diffuse knowledge and ideas between each. Whilst this ecosystem is developed and evolved through interdisciplinary collaborations, individual disciplines are cast into competition for the attention of the same business users. These findings are further explored by discussing the implication this has for operational research, as well as considering what directions future research may take to maximise the potential value of these relationships.

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Authors
Mortenson, M. J., Doherty, N. F., & Robinson, S.
Affiliations
Loughborough University (GB)
Corresponding author
Robinson, Stewart
Venue
European Journal of Operational Research
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2015-03
Volume
241
Issue
3
Pages
583-595
ISSN
0377-2217 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2121991049
Cited by
235
References
116
Citations by year
2026: 12 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 16 · 2023: 18 · 2022: 19 · 2021: 35 · 2020: 28 · 2019: 36 · 2018: 26 · 2017: 17 · 2016: 10 · 2015: 9 · 2014: 1
FWCI
27.33
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • European Journal of Operational Research (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
  • Loughborough University Institutional Repository (Loughborough University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • Loughborough University Research Repository (Loughborough University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • Newcastle University ePrints (Newcastle Univesity) (cc-by)
Funders
Operational Research Society
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Management Information Systems › Big Data and Business Intelligence
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Strategy and Management › Management and Optimization Techniques
  • Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Management Science and Operations Research › Complex Systems and Decision Making
Keywords
operational research, data analytics, history of management thought, scientific management, interdisciplinary collaboration, research agenda, INFORMS, management paradigms, knowledge diffusion, business users, analytics adoption

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