EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF OPERATIONAL RESEARCH
Volume 249, Issue 3, 3/2016
Guest Editors:
L. Alberto Franco
Loughborough University, UK
Raimo P. Hämäläinen
Aalto University, Finland
Motivation
Within the OR field, there is an increasing interest in studying behavioural factors affecting model-based problem solving and decision making processes.
Recently, the term Behavioural Operational Research (BOR) has been proposed to capture this new development and signal the emergence of an important field
of future activity within OR (Hamalainen et al 2013). Defined broadly, BOR relates to the behavioural aspects of the use of OR in problem solving and decision
support. The overall purpose of BOR is to make better use of OR by both experts and users, so that the intended benefits of OR are effectively realized in practice.
Although behavioural issues have been acknowledged and studied by particular OR communities (e.g. decision analysis, system dynamics, game theory), much more
behavioural studies are needed across the full spectrum of OR specialisms. This Special Issue will thus present a representative collection of high quality
BOR studies designed to advance our understanding of how behavioural factors affect the conduct of, and interaction with, model-based processes that support
problem solving and decision making.
Contents
The purpose of this Special Issue is to engage operational researchers who have an interest in the behavioural aspects of OR practice.
We will therefore consider conceptual and empirical manuscripts as long as they explicitly consider one or more behavioural dimensions
within their work, and they seek to create a new body of knowledge concerning the role and impact of behavioural factors on model-based processes.
We encourage papers from OR scholars and practitioners that address, but are not limited to, the following area topics:
- Model building: What is the effect of behavioural factors on problem structuring, model specification, data collection, model validation, learning, and satisficing?
- Model-based interaction: How do individual and group behavioural characteristics affect model-based interactions and vice versa? What is the impact of the facilitator's behavioural characteristics on model-based interactions? What is the relation between behavioural factors and different model-based interaction formats (eg face-to-face vs online)?
- Modelling people behaviour: How can people behaviour be effectively modelled? What kind of OR modelling approaches are available to model different behaviours (e.g. crowd behaviour) in complex situations (e.g. emergencies) and systems (e.g. supply chain systems)? What is the role and impact of behavioural models for policy and practice?
- Communication with and about models: What is the effect of behavioural factors (including individual features such as educational, professional and cultural backgrounds) on the use of quantitative and qualitative visual models?
- Neurophysiological studies: What can we learn from analysing model-based processes from a neurophysiological perspective to understand the cognitive challenges demanded by different OR approaches?
- Cognitive biases: How do the biases observed in behavioural decision research transfer to OR model-based processes?
- Evaluation studies: What can we learn from adopting a behavioural lens to conduct empirical evaluations of different model-based processes?
- Non-expert use of OR approaches and models: What are the pitfalls and risks? Is quick learning possible?
- Teaching of OR: What is the impact of behavioural factors on OR teaching practices (including the use of software for teaching)? How to develop effective facilitation and systems intelligence skills?
- Ethics and OR: How can behavioural factors inform the ethical conduct of OR in practice?
We are interested in behavioural studies that focus on the use of quantitative and qualitative model-based processes that are typical of OR practice.
We are also interested in studies that draw from a variety of different theoretical perspectives, such as psychology, economics, sociology, communication,
and theories of practice. In terms of methodology, we welcome submissions in which a variety of research strategies and methods for collecting and analysing data are used.
Reference
Hämäläinen, R. P., Luoma, J., Saarinen, E. (2013):
On the importance of behavioral operational research: The case of understanding and communicating about dynamic systems.
European Journal of Operational Research, 228(3): 623-634.
See also: Hämäläinen, R. P. (2015):
Behavioural issues in environmental modelling – The missing perspective.
Environmental Modelling & Software, 73, pp. 244-253.
Papers in the Special Issue:
- L. Alberto Franco, Raimo P. Hämäläinen:
Behavioural operational research: Returning to the roots of the OR profession
- John Brocklesby:
The what, the why and the how of behavioural operational research: An invitation to potential sceptics
- Kai Becker:
An outlook on behavioural OR – 3 tasks, 3 pitfalls, 1 definition
- Jukka Luoma:
Model-based organizational decision making: A behavioral lens
- Leroy White:
Behavioural operational research: Towards a framework for understanding behaviour in OR interventions
- Fotios Petropoulos, Robert Fildes, Paul Goodwin:
Do 'big losses' in judgmental adjustments to statistical forecasts affect experts' behaviour?
- Aris A. Syntetos, Inna Kholidasari, Mohamed M. Naim:
The effects of integrating management judgement into OUT levels: In or out of context?
- Johannes Siebert, Reinhard Kunz:
Developing and validating the multidimensional proactive decision-making scale
- L. Alberto Franco, Etiënne A.J.A. Rouwette, Hubert Korzilius:
Different paths to consensus? The impact of need for closure on model-supported group conflict management
- Tuomas J. Lahtinen, Raimo P. Hämäläinen:
Path dependence and biases in the even swaps decision analysis method
- Robert M. O'Keefe:
Experimental behavioural research in operational research: What we know and what we might come to know
- Rodney J. Scott, Robert Y. Cavana, Donald Cameron:
Recent evidence on the effectiveness of group model building
- Thomas Monks, Stewart Robinson, Kathy Kotiadis:
Can involving clients in simulation studies help them solve their future problems? A transfer of learning experiment.
- James P. Thompson, Susan Howick, Valerie Belton:
Critical learning incidents in system dynamics modelling engagements
- Heinz Ahn, Nadia Vazquez Novoa:
The decoy effect in relative performance evaluation and the debiasing role of DEA
- Jorge Velez-Castiblanco, John Brocklesby, Gerald Midgley:
Boundary games: how teams of OR practitioners explore the boundaries of intervention
- Leroy White, Katharina Burger, Mike Yearworth:
Understanding behaviour in problem structuring methods interventions with activity theory
- Yuncheol Kang, Amy M. Sawyer, Paul M. Griffin, Vittaldas V. Prabhu:
Modelling adherence behaviour for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnoea
- John Fry, Jane M. Binner:
Elementary modelling and behavioural analysis for emergency evacuations using social media
- Ying Shi, Zhaotong Lian:
Optimization and strategic behavior in a passenger–taxi service system
- Michael Becker-Peth, Ulrich W. Thonemann:
Reference points in revenue sharing contracts — How to design optimal supply chain contracts
- George Cairns, Paul Goodwin, George Wright:
A decision-analysis-based framework for analysing stakeholder behaviour in scenario planning
- Niklas Keller, Konstantinos V. Katsikopoulos:
On the role of psychological heuristics in operational research; and a demonstration in military stability operations
Published in a later issue: