Modelling Strategic Problems Group:

A Younger Generation of Hard and Soft OR

IFORS 2002 Network Meeting

Edinburgh, Tuesday 9th July 2002

Workshop on acquiring the skills of soft OR

Session TD8 (provisional):

Tuesday 15:30 – 17:00 Room 8

Younger members of the soft OR community are invited to this network meeting organised by the Modelling Strategic Problems Group. The workshop will involve an open discussion facilitated by Jeff Conklin of CogNexus Institute, Washington DC.

Soft OR approaches such as SSM, cognitive mapping and strategic choice are increasing popular amongst OR analysts. The skills involved as a process consultant or facilitator using these approaches are often difficult to acquire, or even to understand. This session will provide a forum to discuss the issues involved in developing these skills and an opportunity to exchange ideas and experience. The session will introduce and make use of the Dialog Mapping methodology to demonstrate some of the skills involved in facilitating decision making.

The aim of the Modelling Strategic Problems Group is to establish a network of members that will be employing soft OR methods over the next generation.