Intractable problems in discussing OR practice at a scientific conference: Reflections on a panel discussion at EURO XIV

Panel sessions on OR practice are a common event at conferences, but they often do not seem to lead to productive discussions or to generate new ideas. In this paper we identify reasons why this happens, based on our experiences with a semi-plenary panel session on the challenges of practising OR, organized during the EURO XIV Conference in Jerusalem in July 1995 by the last two authors. Despite the initiators' efforts to the contrary, this session left those polled at the end with a sense of hopelessness about such discussions. We analyze the session using a taxonomy of the 15 issues addressed, almost all of which have been raised (many times) before. Together they form a complex collection of interdependent issues, which can be boiled down to some long-standing dilemmas in the field of OR. We believe that much of the disappointment voiced about the session stems from its remaining at the level of individual issues and failing to address the underlying dilemmas. We trace the design strategies of the organizers (a provocative question, a large and participating audience, a wide variety of views within the panel and a limited time frame) as key factors in creating conditions leading to a rather non-linear discussion, based much more on advocacy than on inquiry and which took place on a high level of abstraction. Finally, we generate some proposals for how to create a more effective interpenetration of the worlds of academics and practitioners, in particular in the context of future conferences.