The Relation between Formal Procedures for Pursuing OR/MS Activities and OR/MS Group Success

Abstract

This paper examines the relation between the formalization of OR/MS procedures and OR/MS group success in more man 100 large US industrial organizations. The research gathered evidence on the existence of a formal charter for the OR/MS group and on the use of formalized project procedures. After developing an idealized set of ten procedural phases for projects, we used them as a guide in determining the degree of procedural elaboration followed by each OR/MS group. We recorded various measures of success and used them to show a strong correlation between proceduralization and success, in terms of these measures. We examined the effects of several other behavioral and environmental variables on this relation: the orientations of the OR/MS manager, top-management behavior, OR/MS-group age and size, and OR/MS diffusion within the organization. Finally, we note the possibility that proceduralization may be either, or both, a cause or an indicator of OR/MS success.