This paper seeks to capture the prevailing spirit in management science in the UK in the late 1980s. It is based on the author's 20 years experience as a management science practitioner, initially in-house and then as a consultant. It also draws on the workings of the Commission on the Future Practice of Operational Research, of which the author was a member. The paper discusses the current state of management science in the UK, based largely on the perceptions of practitioners. The author discerns a significant trend away from technique-based management science aimed at problem solving, and towards a softer approach aimed at improving the processes of management. Some examples are quoted in support of this. The paper concludes with a discussion of the impact of management science on the UK economy as a whole and the chances for a more substantial role in the future.