PUTTING MANAGEMENT MODELS ON THE MANAGER’S DESKTOP

Abstract

One of the greatest problems facing theoretical scientists and modellers is the difficulty of presenting results to managers in a form that can be understood and utilized by them while retaining as much as possible of the scientific content. Many managers have limited scientific expertise and they are often unfamiliar with theoretical approaches. They are also reluctant to share their decision-making responsibilities with scientists, who may not be familiar with all the factors they have to deal with. This often makes it difficult for scientific advisors to function effectively. An alternative is to use expert systems technology to let managers access the scientific expertise relevant to the decision-making process without requiring direct personal interaction with scientific advisors. This is particularly appropriate for environmental management situations where managers in remote locations may not have easy access to scientists in relevant fields. We have therefore been developing a Decision Support System (DSS) as a tool for communicating scientific advice to managers. This paper addresses the general issues behind using Decision Support Systems in this way and discusses some of the problems involved. Although a computer program cannot be expected to represent more than a fraction of the expertise of real scientists, the DSS approach appears to have several advantages; these include the ability to deliver a degree of expertise in remote and isolated regions, and, perhaps most important, a chance for managers to access scientific resources in a private environment which lets them explore various options without having to justify their eventual actions to scientists who may not fully appreciate all the pressures which bear on their decisions.