Patterns in the development of operations research and management science in government

The development of an operations research or management science (OR/MS) activity in an organization is discussed as occurring in a series of phases. Organizational aspects of the development of OR/MS in an individual case and in an institutional environment of federal civilian agencies are described. It is noted that there is some evidence that the length of time it takes an OR/MS group to develop to maturity has decreased. It is concluded that to understand the development of OR/MS in government organization, it must be considered as a problem in empirical organization theory.