Pictures from an exhibition: Images of OR/MS

This paper discusses the way in which assumptions about the nature of organisation may lead to different views of OR/MS. The discussion is based on the notion of alternative metaphors, starting with the metaphors for organisation discussed by Morgan. A limited set of alternative metaphors for OR/MS is considered, as are the links of this set to those of Morgan. The paper concludes by arguing that OR/MS need not be based on a mechanistic or bureaucratic image of organisational life and maintains the need for alternative views, given the fast changing nature of organisational life.