September 5, 2023 in Presidential Punk Rock O.R.
Smarter Decisions for a Better World: Telling Our StORy
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https://doi.org/10.1287/orms.2023.03.15
I have long believed that OR/MS should not be a well-kept secret. The Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences and its acronym, “INFORMS,” are not entirely illustrative to those outside of our discipline. As a result, I was enthusiastic to learn about interest in developing a tagline for INFORMS to help with branding. We have always had to work hard to explain our expertise to others, and often, our main message got lost along the way. To me, it seemed like a tagline would help us better articulate our expertise to the world.
Our tagline of “Smarter decisions for a better world” communicates INFORMS’ mission and values to our members, our peers and the public in a concise and impactful manner. It provides a consistent message that can be used across various communication channels, including marketing materials, social media, events and publications.
As the author of the blog “Punk Rock Operations Research,” I can confirm that a memorable brand identity that evokes positive emotions and associations can help disseminate messages to a broader audience.
The benefits extend beyond the tagline itself. I valued hearing from members about what makes operations research (O.R.) and analytics special. This feedback and the entire process gave me many chances to reflect on what O.R. is, what it means to me and what it offers the world. This reflection helped me achieve clarity on how I view O.R. and the entire profession.
Leading with Decisions
“Smarter decisions for a better world” resonates with me because it leads with decisions. We have long described operations research in relation to decision-making. For example, the INFORMS website has a brief definition of O.R. that is decision-focused [1]:
Operations research is defined as the scientific process of transforming data into insights to making better decisions.
Another page on the website also defines O.R. and analytics in terms of their relationship to decisions [2]:
O.R. is the application of advanced analytical methods to help make better decisions. Closely connected to O.R., analytics is the scientific process of transforming data into insight for making better decisions. Both offer exciting ways to apply math methods to real-world situations and everyday decision-making.
The editorial statement of the journal Operations Research focuses on decision-making [3]:
… to continue its tradition of presenting the best of the science of optimal decision-making …
The “About Us” page on the INFORMS website also focuses on decision-making, among other things [4]:
INFORMS promotes best practices and advances in operations research, management science, and analytics to improve operational processes, decision-making, and outcomes through an array of highly-cited publications, conferences, competitions, networking communities, and professional development services.
The way I see it, the tagline is a more succinct “About Us” that will be more readily understood by those outside of our discipline.
Making smarter decisions is something every organization values. “Smarter decisions for a better world” reminds me of a recent conversation I had with someone who has had a highly successful career in industry over the past 25 years since earning a B.S. in industrial engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (my employer). The conversation took an interesting turn when he weighed in on what he saw as the ultimate value of an industrial engineering degree. The value, he argued, was learning about the decision sciences in O.R. courses. In his description, the decision sciences capture data-driven decision-making, communication and the human side of decisions, including emotions, risk aversion and cognitive biases. He considers this to be the single most important aspect of his university education because making decisions well is something that every organization values. And I agree.
Although there are many other valuable skills one can learn in operations research and industrial engineering courses, this endorsement of making smarter decisions resonates with me. Operations researchers don’t make things, we make decisions. And it’s hard to overstate how valuable that is.
For a Better World
The latter half of the tagline – “for a better world” – alludes to the INFORMS slogan: “Saving lives. Saving Money. Solving problems.” This slogan was coined during a planning meeting prior to the first Government & Analytics Summit in 2018. In the meeting, INFORMS members, INFORMS staff and members of the consulting team were brainstorming messages that simplified the impact of O.R. to concisely explain to policymakers who would attend the Government & Analytics Summit. As soon as we heard the phrase spoken out loud, we knew it was a slogan we would leverage in our advocacy efforts. The slogan is memorable and has stuck around for obvious reasons. Although the slogan is not quite right as a tagline, I was happy to see the impact we have on the world encapsulated in the tagline.
Broadcasting Our Message to the World
Even though the physical tagline under the INFORMS logo is subtle, its impact may be supersized. The tagline tells the world that INFORMS is “the” place for O.R. and analytics expertise, and it will put INFORMS members in the best position to tell our stories and broadcast our messages to the world, amplifying our impact.
Additionally, the tagline reflects our core purpose and the impact we seek to achieve. It emphasizes the importance of using data-driven and analytically sound approaches to make informed decisions, not only for the benefit of individual organizations but also for the greater good of society. It takes us one step closer to achieving our vision of better decision-making for a just, prosperous and sustainable world.
References
Laura Albert is a professor and the David H. Gustafson Chair of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is the 2023 INFORMS president. She is the author of the blog Punk Rock Operations Research. You can find her on Twitter at @lauraalbertphd. 