A Language-Action Approach to Operational Research

This paper results from a collaboration between two academics, one a social psychologist who has explored creative work in engineering product design, the other engaged in the application of ‘soft’ methods in OR, but with a background in engineering. Much of the new thinking in OR is described in terms of a language-action perspective which is prominent in studies of computer supported work, negotiation, and other forms of discursive action. The perspective is used to examine some of the tasks needing to be undertaken if OR is to shift from a concern with social engineering to a concern with reflective social action. Particular attention is paid to the analysis of dilemmas, the growth of commitment, and the assessment of methods. It is concluded that, if OR makes the analysis of cognitive and political processes part of the core of the subject, it may become an epistemic subject with wide application to organisational decision-making.