Professor Richard Ormerod
Emeritus Professor
Biography
25 years in industry as bridge engineer, 1967-71; factory manager, 1972-73; operational researcher, 1973-78; corporate strategist, 1978-87; management consultant, 1987-91. Joined 糖心TV 糖心TV School in 1991 as Professor of Operational Research and Systems. Subsequently appointed Associate Dean of Executive Education and Professor of Management. Franz Edelman Award finalist 1995. Awarded the Beale medal by the operational Research Society in 2016.
Research Interests
The focus of research has been the practice of operational research; how practice can be described, understood and improved. The perspective pursued is that of a practitioner. Particular topics include: the philosophy of OR; the process of OR; the transformation competence perspective; case studies of OR interventions; development of information systems strategies; strategic modeling; soft OR.
Journal Publications
Ormerod RJ. "The fitness and survival of the OR profession in the age of artificial intelligence" Journal of the Operational Research Society 72(2021): 4-22.
Ormerod RJ. 鈥淧ragmatism in professional practice鈥 Systems Research and Behavioural Science (2020): Open Access
Ormerod RJ. "The history and ideas of sociological functionalism: Talcott Parsons, modern sociological theory, and the relevance for OR" Journal of the Operational Research Society 71(2020): 1873-1899.
Ormerod RJ. "The pragmatic logic of OR consulting practice: Towards a foundational view" Journal of the Operational Research Society 71(2020): 1691-1709.
Ormerod RJ. "The logic and methods of OR consulting practice: Towards a foundational view" Journal of the Operational Research Society 69(2018): 1357-1379.
Ormerod RJ. 鈥淲riting practitioner case studies to help behavioural OR research: Application of the mangle perspective鈥 Journal of the Operational Research Society 68(2017): 507-520.
Ormerod RJ. 鈥淐ritical pragmatism for professional practice: some comments鈥 Ulrich鈥檚 Bimonthly May-June (2016): 1-18.
Ormerod RJ. 鈥淐ritical rationalism in practice and its relationship to critical systems thinking鈥 Systems Research and Behavioural Science 33(2016): 4-23.
Ormerod RJ. 鈥淐ritical rationalism in practice: Strategies to manage subjectivity in OR investigations. European Journal of Operational Research 235(2014): 784–797.
Ormerod RJ. "The mangle of OR practice: towards more informative case studies of 鈥榯echnical projects鈥" Journal of the Operational Research Society 65 (2014): 1245-1260.
Ormerod RJ. "OR competences: the demands of problem structuring methods" EURO Journal on Decision Processes 2(2014): 313-340
Ormerod RJ. and Ulrich W. 鈥淥perational research and ethics: A literature review鈥 European Journal of Operational Research 228 (2013): 291–307.
Ormerod RJ. 鈥淟ogic and rationality in OR interventions: an examination in the light of the 鈥榗ritical rationalist approach鈥 Journal of the Operational Research Society 64(2013): 469–487.
Ormerod RJ. 鈥淥R as rational choice: a decision and game theory perspective鈥 Journal of the Operational Research Society61(2010): 1761-1776.
Ormerod RJ. 鈥淛ustifying the methods of OR鈥 Journal of the Operational Research Society 61(2010): 1694-1708.
Ormerod RJ. 鈥淩ational Inference: deductive, inductive and probabilistic thinking鈥 Journal of the Operational Research Society 61(2010): 1207-1223.
Ormerod RJ. 鈥淎rticulate intervention revisited鈥 Journal of the Operational Research Society 61(2010): 1078-1094.
Ormerod RJ. 鈥淭he history and ideas of critical rationalism: the philosophy of Karl Popper and its implications for OR鈥 Journal of the Operational Research Society 60(2009): 441-460.
Ormerod RJ. 鈥淭he history and ideas of Marxism: the relevance for OR鈥 Journal of the Operational Research Society 59(2008): 1573-1590.
Ormerod RJ. 鈥淭he transformation competence perspective鈥 Journal of the Operational Research Society 59(2008): 1435-1448.
Ormerod RJ. 鈥淭he history and ideas of pragmatism鈥 Journal of the Operational Research Society 57(2006): 892-909.
Ormerod RJ. 鈥淧utting soft OR methods to work: the case of IS strategy for the UK Parliament鈥 Journal of the Operational Research Society 56(2005): 1379-1398.
Ormerod RJ. 鈥淥n the nature of OR: taking stock鈥 Journal of the Operational Research Society 53(2002): 475-491.
Leal de Matos P, Chen B and Ormerod RJ. 鈥淥ptimisation models for re-routing air traffic flows in Europe鈥 Journal of the Operational Research Society 52(2001): 1338-1349.
Leal de Matos P and Ormerod RJ. 鈥淭he application of operational research to European air traffic flow management – understanding the context鈥 European Journal of Operational Research 123(2000): 125-144.
Ormerod RJ, Delibassi P and Morris C. 鈥淩esearch Strategies used by OR/MS workers: extension of the analysis of the U.S flagship journals to the United Kingdom鈥 Operations Research 48(2000): 527-534.
Ormerod RJ. 鈥淧utting soft OR methods to work - business improvement at PowerGen鈥 European Journal of Operational Research 118(1999):1-29.
Ormerod RJ. 鈥淧utting soft OR methods to work - information systems strategy development at Palabora鈥 Omega 26(1998): 75-98.
Pauley GS and Ormerod RJ. 鈥淭he evolution of a performance measurement project at RTZ鈥 Interfaces 28(1998): 94-118.
Ormerod RJ. 鈥淏eyond internal OR groups鈥 Journal of the Operational Research Society 49(1998): 420-429.
Hsiao RL and Ormerod RJ. 鈥淎 new perspective on the dynamics of IT-enabled strategic change鈥 Information Systems Journal 8(1998): 21-52.
Ormerod RJ. 鈥淭he role of OR in shaping the future: smart bits, helpful ways, and things that matter鈥 Journal of the Operational Research Society 48(1997): 1045-1056.
Ormerod RJ. 鈥淭he design of organisational intervention: choosing the approach鈥 Omega. 25(1997): 415-513.
Ormerod RJ and Kiossis K. 鈥淥R/MS publications: extension of the analysis of U.S. Flagship Journals to the United Kingdom鈥. Operations Research 45(1997): 178-187.
Ormerod RJ. 鈥淥R models assist the Sizewell B public inquiry鈥 OR Insight 10(1997): 2-7
Ormerod RJ. 鈥淎n observation on publication habits based on the analysis of MS/OR Journals鈥 Omega 26(1997): 599-603.
Ormerod RJ. 鈥淥n the nature of OR – entering the fray鈥 Journal of the Operational Research Society 47(1996): 1-17.
Ormerod RJ. 鈥淐ombining management consulting and research鈥 Omega 24(1996): 1-12.
Morley I and Ormerod RJ. 鈥淎 language-action approach to operational research鈥 Journal of the Operational Research Society 47(1996): 731-740.
Ormerod RJ. 鈥淧utting soft OR methods to work - information systems strategy development at Richards Bay鈥 Journal of the Operational Research Society 47(1996): 1083-1097.
Ormerod RJ. 鈥淚nformation systems strategy development at Sainsbury鈥檚 supermarkets using 鈥榮oft鈥 OR鈥 Interfaces 26(1996): 102-130.
Ormerod RJ. 鈥淧utting soft OR methods to work: information systems strategy development at Sainsbury鈥檚鈥 Journal of the Operational Research Society 46(1995): 277-293.
Ormerod RJ. 鈥淭he role of OR in information systems strategy development鈥 International Transactions of Operational Research 2(1995): 17-27.
Ormerod RJ. 鈥淥n the nature of information systems strategy development鈥 Journal of Computing and Information Technology 1(1993): 285-293. 75-101.
Ormerod RJ. 鈥淭he role of OR in strategy development鈥 ORiON, The Journal of the OR Society of South Africa 9(1993): 71-87.
Ormerod RJ and McLeod J. 鈥淭he development and use of the NCB strategic model鈥 The Statistician 33(1984): 35-49.
Ormerod RJ. 鈥淐orporate planning and its use of O.R. in the N.C.B.: A personal view鈥 Journal of the Operational Research Society 34(1983): 461-467.
Plackett MW, Ormerod RJ and Toft F. 鈥淭he National Coal Board strategic model鈥 European Journal of Operational Research 10(1982): 351-360.
Ormerod RJ. 鈥淕lobal resources of coal: opportunities, constraints and solutions鈥 Resources and Conservation 7(1981): 69-73.
Ormerod RJ. 鈥淓nergy models for decision making鈥 European Journal of Operational Research 5(1980): 366-377.
Book Chapters
Ormerod RJ. 鈥淢ixing methods in practice鈥 Rational Analysis for a Problematic World Revisited: Problem Structuring Methods for Complexity, Uncertainty and Conflict (2001): 311-336.
Ormerod RJ. 鈥淧utting systems theory to work – the synergy between theory and practice鈥 Synergy matters: Working with Systems in the 21st Century (1999): 19-24.
Ormerod RJ. 鈥淢ixing methods in practice: a transformation-competence perspective鈥 Multimethodology: The Theory and Practice of Integrating Methodologies (1997): 29-58.
Ormerod RJ. 鈥淭he role methodologies in systems strategy development: reflections on experience鈥 Information Systems Provision: The Contribution of Soft Systems Methodology (1995): 75-101.
Ormerod RJ. 鈥淢anaging IS in global companies鈥 Systems Science: Addressing Global Issues (1993): 425-420.
