Behavioural OR


The main aim of the SIG is to foster interest in behavioural science and its usefulness for OR and to organise events which will be of interest to practitioners and academics alike. A secondary aim is to increase public knowledge and awareness of OR in general. Just as behavioural work from the likes of Simon, Kahneman and Gigerenzer has made contributions to economics, healthcare and policy, there is potential for similar benefits from behavioural OR.

The current growth in interest in behavioural OR stems from a long observed gap in 'people issues' in a wide sense, coupled with the emergence of a set of methods that promise the potential of being able to address such issues (Mingers and Rosenhead; Gary et al). The recognition of this gap is not new, nor does it represent a revolution of the field of OR, but what is perhaps new is the emergence of a set of methods and structured areas of study from behavioural science that may allow a more rigorous and systematic approach to behavioural issues within the OR field. For example, developments in OR could occur through integrating insights from cognitive modelling into human judgment and decision-making under uncertainty or from social experiments into the study of group behaviour. Equally, advances in computing as applied to the social sciences, particularly the increasing interest in agent-based modelling, is opening up new avenues for research which behavioural OR can explore.

Join us for our next event

Sustainability transitions, Behaviour and Operational Research

13 March 2024, 12.00 - 13.00

Register here

 

Join us for an online event on sustainability transitions, the role of multi-level frameworks and systems perspectives for socio-technical transformations. Together, we will consider some of the latest ideas emerging from research in this area and explore pathways for advancing the field.

Meet the Speakers

Dr Katharina Burger

Katharina Burger is Associate Professor in Major Infrastructure Delivery at The Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction at UCL (UK). Her research focuses on the intersection of behavioural aspects and socio-technical transitions, for instance, in the context of smart and sustainable city development. https://profiles.ucl.ac.uk/91894

Dr Vincent de Gooyert

Vincent de Gooyert is Associate Professor at Radboud University (NL). His research and teaching revolve around increasing understanding of, as well as intervening in, societal transformations towards sustainability. Vincent is trained both as an engineer and as a sociologist, and his work often aims to transcend disciplines, using and contributing to methods on stakeholder engagement, system dynamics, and socio-technical transitions. https://www.ru.nl/en/people/gooyert-v-de

Dr Georgios (George) Papachristos

George Papachristos is Assistant Professor at TU Eindhoven (NL). He is a student of the human condition and system dynamics. Research interests include strategic management, technology platforms and competition, sociotechnical transition research, and system dynamics methodology and applications. https://www.tue.nl/en/research/researchers/georgios-papachristos

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Committee Details

Konstantinos Katsikopoulos Chair
Jonathan Malpass Secretary
Katharina Burger Committee Member
Valentina Ferretti Committee Member
Richard Underwood Committee Member

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