OR64:  OR FOR A BETTERWORLD TOGETHERThe OR Society’s Annual ConferenceUniversity of Warwick  | 13 – 15 September 2022

OR64 Annual Conference

Invitation from Prof Gerald Midgley:

INVITATION TO THE SYSTEMS THINKING STREAM AT OR64:

Since 2018, a team of us at the University of Hull (UK) and Linnaeus University (Sweden) have been organizing systems thinking streams at Operational Research (OR) Society annual conferences. They have consistently been the largest streams at these events, with 60+ presenters filling three parallel sessions. Some participants also contribute 1-3 hour interactive workshops.

The next conference is nicknamed OR64, and it will be held face-to-face at the University of Warwick (UK) on 13-15 September 2022. The deadline for abstracts is 30 June.

We really want you to come to this conference and be part of something special! I am inviting my extensive systems thinking research network, anticipating that a substantial portion of it will be able to come. I am also publicizing this on Facebook and Linked In. This is a great opportunity to meet 60+ other people who want to further the agenda of systems thinking in OR.

If you have not engaged with OR before, it’s worth knowing that it’s a profession that is embedded in decision making right across the public, private, voluntary and community sectors, so it offers an ideal pathway for the impact of systems ideas in dealing with issues that really matter for our organizations, communities and societies.

THE SYSTEMS THINKING STREAM

For presentations in the stream, we welcome the *widest possible diversity* of practitioners and academics, whatever specialism you bring.

We encourage the submission of abstracts discussing applications to (and across) organizational, social and environmental issues; theoretical and methodological innovations; thoughts on the diversity, impacts and ethics of systemic OR practice; and reflections on the past, present and future of systems thinking in OR. Indeed, any insightful presentation of relevance to systems thinking and OR is very welcome.

We have also been asked to look out for authors who can offer experiential workshops (e.g., giving practical experiences of using a systems approach). If you think your work would fit in this category, and can facilitate a workshop lasting between 1-3 hours, please let us know by email before uploading your abstract. You can write to sadaf.salavati@lnu.se

THE EVENT

The event is the 64th Annual Conference of the Operational Research Society (OR64). It will be held on 13-15 September 2022 at the University of Warwick. This is situated in the English Midlands, within easy reach of London by train.

there is no requirement to produce a written paper – just an abstract (maximum 300 words) describing your presentation, which will be published in the program. The closing date for abstracts is 30 June 2022. Please submit your abstract as soon as possible and then sort out the finances afterwards (the closing date for the reduced, early-bird conference fee is also 30 June).

Everything you need to know about the event (venue, travel arrangements, accommodation, price, critical dates, requirements of presenters, etc.) can be found on the conference web site, where you can also sign up and submit abstracts: https://theorsociety.eventsair.com/or64-annual-conference/ Much of the information is in clickable links in a narrow red band across the top of this page.

Please choose the Systems Thinking stream when you upload your abstract (if you don’t do this, you could find yourself somewhere else).

I urge you to participate if you possibly can, and I look forward to seeing you there. Please also invite others who you think will be interested, and feel free to re-use my message when you write to them. *Please share widely.*

CONTACTS

If you have questions about the systems thinking stream or your presentation (not the conference logistics), please contact Giles Hindle (giles.hindle@hull.ac.uk), Gerald Midgley (g.r.midgley@hull.ac.uk), Erdelina Kurti (erdelina.kurti@lnu.se) or Sadaf Salavati (sadaf.salavati@lnu.se).

For further information about the conference more broadly (including anything to do with costs, travel or accommodation), please contact event.enquiry@theorsociety.com

Best wishes,

Gerald Midgley