THE O.R APPROACH TO LIFE
Operations
research is a managerial techniques widely used in a variety of areas and is concerned
with making decisions and helps in finding out
the most efficient way to do something. It
was developed during World War II and is widely used in diverse areas now. All
problems involve deciding on the best course of action under a given situation
while keeping the constraints in mind. There are techniques which allow trying
out different approaches and then arrive at a conclusion. When there are many
courses of action open to us, it helps in narrowing the choices to the best
ones. It aids in measuring risk of taking a particular decision, mining through
the available information to find connections and insights and is extremely
useful when complex circumstances arise with many stakeholders and competing
interests. It acknowledges that multiple factors affect a situation and many of
them are not in our control. It is not based on any single discipline but makes
use of techniques from a number of areas just like life is not based on a
single track or line of thought.
The outstanding feature in O.R
approach is the ‘constraints’ or ‘restrictions’. Life can be considered as a
large O.R problem with many restrictions and constraints. Each one of us has
been given a set of circumstances, most of which cannot be changed or altered.
These cannot be wished away by ignoring, grumbling or cursing our ‘fate’. The
only way out of these would be through it. The constraints play a very
important role as they determine our limits within which we need to operate. A
wise person takes these into account and ‘optimizes’ the situation.
The first course of action is to
determine our goals. We need to maximize happiness, relationships and career
objectives and minimize sorrow, anxiety, negativity and setbacks. Identifying
these is a very crucial and many times, a difficult task as it requires a lot
of critical introspection which many of us are reluctant to take up. Once the
goals are identified, the constraints have to be examined to see whether they
play an important role in our lives or can simply be removed. In case of the
former, we need to work a way out of these. Each individual has to decide to
what extent of the constraints can be allowed. It requires a lot of courage and
determination to surmount these, or sometimes, taking a firm decision to move
away and out of situations which only hinder our lives and drain us.
O.R involves a number of
techniques which help in organizing tasks and allocating jobs in an efficient
manner. This is very important in life too. Managing life and relationships
involves a cool head and calm composure so that we can allocate priorities.
This not only helps in conserving our energies but also in streamlining many
activities and interactions so that there is no antagonism or clashes.
One of the commonly used
techniques is called a ‘search-approach’ method in which we move from one point
to another in search of optimality. This is life too, wherein we constantly
move and change so that a satisfying and fulfilling set of situations are
created. Another principle of ‘dominance’ is used too, where lesser important
options are successively deleted so that only the most important one remains. A
valid policy too, as we can focus on the important facets of life only when we
don’t ‘sweat the small stuff’.
Simulation is often used to
understand a new development or scenario or sometimes to understand the present
circumstances clearly. This is in tune with ‘look before leap’. When we
visualize or virtually create a scene, we will know the likely pitfalls and
drawbacks and are ready to tackle them. This requires an in-depth study of
various aspects, a deep understanding and more important, a willingness to
accept the fact that things may not go our way in life. Non-negativity
restrictions play an important part in any O.R problem. It simply means there
can be no negative values as they are physical quantities. So true in living
too. As long as negative emotions are avoided and negative qualities are not
cultivated, reaching a goal becomes a beautiful and a wonderful journey. Success in life is not in avoiding
constraints but to thrive in spite of them.