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Systems Modelling: Theory and Practice
There has always been an uneasy relationship between the 'hard' and 'soft' schools of management science. Featuring original insights from leading lights in the field, this accessibly written book begins by examining theoretical aspects of the hard/soft debate. It then goes on to consider how the two schools can be brought together in a new approach, integrating elements of both disciplines, and explores practical aspects of this with real-world examples. Highlights include Colin Eden and Fran Ackermann on soft OR models, Peter Checkland and Sue Holwell on classic and soft OR, and John Morecroft on learning in System Dynamics Practice. A concluding chapter brings the thinking of the contributors together and points the way forward.
240 pages, Paperback
First published July 16, 2004
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September 21, 2021
Unfortunately in Systems Modelling: Theory and Practice there is a lot of theory and not so much practice. The book is itself a compilation of essays, which are mostly based on existing published papers by their respective authors; on the challenges of combining the use of "hard" and "soft" methods in Operational Research.
In summary, it is not only possible but advisable to tackle OR problems using a variety of methods depending on the context. So complementarity of "hard" and "soft" methods is feasible based on the case studies presented in this book. Furthermore, because "soft" methods allow people to explore the problem space; it seems to be an idea to start with "soft" methods if appropriate to be able to structure the problem at hand. And from there, make use of "hard" methods to drive towards a possible (and plausible) solution. The authors seem to suggest that going from "hard" to "soft" may not be the best approach, as sometimes "hard" methods assume a well defined problem.
Michael Pidd himself wrote the introduction and the conclusion chapters in this book, and that's probably where you get the most value from by reading this book. Without doubt, if you are an existing OR/MS practitioner, the book will generate insights as to when/how employ some of the techniques you are familiar with.
I cannot say I feel enlighted after reading it, hence the two stars score.
In summary, it is not only possible but advisable to tackle OR problems using a variety of methods depending on the context. So complementarity of "hard" and "soft" methods is feasible based on the case studies presented in this book. Furthermore, because "soft" methods allow people to explore the problem space; it seems to be an idea to start with "soft" methods if appropriate to be able to structure the problem at hand. And from there, make use of "hard" methods to drive towards a possible (and plausible) solution. The authors seem to suggest that going from "hard" to "soft" may not be the best approach, as sometimes "hard" methods assume a well defined problem.
Michael Pidd himself wrote the introduction and the conclusion chapters in this book, and that's probably where you get the most value from by reading this book. Without doubt, if you are an existing OR/MS practitioner, the book will generate insights as to when/how employ some of the techniques you are familiar with.
I cannot say I feel enlighted after reading it, hence the two stars score.
Displaying 1 of 1 review