Your boss is dismissing your Operations Research ideas. How will you navigate this challenging situation?

First step is in understanding his concerns and addressing the concerns in the best possible way. It may happen that most of his concerns are valid and when it comes to practicality, your operations research solution might not be able to address all of them. In that case it becomes imperative to rework the entire solution. At the end of the day, if a solution has to be industrialized from a PoC, it has to go through a lot of approvals and it involves a lot of cost. Hence it becomes important to get his support.

Commencez par écouter. Daniel Kahneman, expert en psychologie comportementale, dit que comprendre les objections est crucial pour avancer. Interrogez votre patron sur ses préoccupations : co?t, praticité, pertinence ? L'écoute active démontre votre professionnalisme et vous aide à ajuster votre approche.

Dismissal is not necessarily refusal, being strategic about the rejection would come into play here: 1. Get Feedback: I ask my boss why my ideas are dismissed; where the misunderstanding or misalignment lies, if any. 2. Simplify: I reframe complex concepts into simple, relatable terms with real-world examples. 3. Align with Goals: Incorporate the feedback to properly fit with our company's goal (show how we can reduce costs and/or boost ROI). 4. Build Cross-Functional Support: I involve other stakeholders to demonstrate value. Understand that resistance is natural. Consistency and adaptation, while staying true to the purpose of the research, build credibility and ensure ideas gain traction.

Initially, I would seek to understand the reasons behind my boss's dismissal of my ideas. After gathering this feedback, I would conduct a root cause analysis to identify any underlying issues and refine the ideas accordingly. Once the necessary improvements have been made, I would rigorously test and validate the solutions before presenting them again to ensure they are well-prepared and aligned with expectations.

To address your boss's dismissal of your Operations Research ideas, focus on refining them by seeking feedback to understand their concerns, incorporating constructive suggestions, ensuring alignment with business objectives, simplifying the presentation of complex concepts, and demonstrating the practicality and potential impact of your ideas through detailed analysis and real-world applicability.

Répondez aux préoccupations en précisant les avantages. Montrez comment la RO réduit les co?ts et augmente l’efficacité. Ne vous perdez pas dans le jargon ; simplifiez. Comme le souligne Tim Harford, économiste et auteur, l’art de la communication est de rendre les concepts complexes accessibles.

Mobilisez vos collègues. Le soutien interne peut peser lourd. Partagez vos idées et récoltez des avis positifs. Selon Adam Grant, psychologue organisationnel, les alliances internes sont essentielles pour influencer les décideurs.

You could convince the stakeholders with a small PoC. The important thing here is not to try to solve the entire business problem from the beginning, but to start small and then improve the model iteratively. This also increases acceptance, as new requirements are usually added in the subsequent phases that were not known or clear at the start of the project.

Basez-vous sur des faits. La recherche opérationnelle se nourrit de données concrètes. Quantifiez les bénéfices potentiels. Comme l’affirme Hans Rosling, la visualisation des données transforme les idées en réalités compréhensibles et convaincantes.

If you have a problem that can be accurately modeled as a linear program/mixed integer program, then find the optimal solution and challenge your boss to find a better solution. If you have modeled the problem correctly and have obtained the optimal solution, then your boss will NOT be able to find a better solution.

There are a number of successful use cases in which operations research has brought very successful benefits for businesses. Operations research is not an experiment, it is an approach that has been used successfully for decades and has demonstrably contributed to the success of enterprises.

Montrez des cas de succès. Des exemples réels d’autres entreprises peuvent clarifier la valeur de vos idées. Dan Ariely, expert en économie comportementale, affirme que les histoires de succès facilitent l’acceptation des nouvelles idées.

Suggérez un essai limité. Cela minimise les risques tout en offrant une preuve de concept. Comme le dit Eric Ries dans “The Lean Startup”, tester à petite échelle avant de généraliser est une stratégie gagnante. Transformez le rejet en opportunité. Chaque obstacle est une chance d’affiner et de convaincre.