Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

International Conference on Social Computing, Behavioral-Cultural Modeling and Prediction and Behavior Representation in Modeling and Simulation

SBP-BRiMS 2018: Social, Cultural, and Behavioral Modeling pp 190–196Cite as

Formal Organizations, Informal Networks, and Work Flow: An Agent-Based Model

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNISA,volume 10899))

Abstract

Few computational network models contrasting formal organization and informal networks have been published. A generalized organizational agent-based model (ABM) containing both formal organizational hierarchy and informal social networks was developed to simulate organizational processes that occur over both formal network ties and informal networks. Preliminary results from the current effort demonstrate “traffic jams” of work at the problematic middle manager level, which varies with the degree of micromanagement culture and supervisory span of control. Results also indicate that some informal network ties are used reciprocally while others are practically unidirectional.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Cross, R., Prusak, L.: The people who make organizations go–or stop. Harv. Bus. Rev. 80, 104–112 (2002)

    Google Scholar 

  2. Krackhardt, D., Hanson, J.R.: Informal networks: the company behind the charts. Harv. Bus. Rev. 71, 104–111 (1993)

    Google Scholar 

  3. Cross, R., Parise, S., Weiss, L.M.: The role of networks in organizational change. McKinsey Q. 3, 28–41 (2007)

    Google Scholar 

  4. Axtell, R.L., Epstein, J.M.: Coordination in transient social networks: an agent-based computational model of the timing of retirement. In: Epstein, J.M. (ed.) Generative Social Science: Studies in Agent-Based Computational Modeling. Princeton University Press (2006)

    Google Scholar 

  5. Allen, T.J., Cohen, S.I.: Information flow in research and development laboratories. Adm. Sci. Q. 14, 12–19 (1969)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Katz, R., Tushman, M.: Communication patterns, project performance, and task characteristics: an empirical evaluation and integration in an R&D setting. Organ. Behav. Hum. Perform. 23, 139–162 (1979)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Borgatti, S.P., Everett, M.G., Johnson, J.C.: Analyzing Social Networks. Sage, Los Angeles (2013)

    Google Scholar 

  8. Diesner, J., Frantz, T.L., Carley, K.M.: Communication networks from the Enron email corpus “it’s always about the people. Enron is no different”. Comput. Math. Organ. Theory 11, 201–228 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Ben-Arieh, D., Pollatscheck, M.A.: Analysis of information flow in hierarchical organizations. Int. J. Prod. Res. 40, 3561–3573 (2002)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Lin, Y., Desouza, K.C.: Co-evolution of organizational network and individual behavior: an agent-based model of interpersonal knowledge transfer. In: ICIS, p. 153 (2010)

    Google Scholar 

  11. Tsvetovat, M., Carley, K.M.: Modeling complex socio-technical systems using multi-agent simulation methods. Kuenstliche Intell. 2004, 23–28 (2004)

    Google Scholar 

  12. Wilensky, U.: NetLogo. Northwestern University, Evanston, IL (1999)

    Google Scholar 

  13. Erdös, P., Rényi, A.: On random graphs. I. Publ. Math. Debr. 6, 290–297 (1959)

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  14. Adamic, L.: Erdös-Renyi Degree Distribution NetLogo Model (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  15. Carley, K.M.: Dynamic network analysis. In: Dynamic Social Network Modeling and Analysis: Workshop Summary and Papers. National Academies Press, Washington, D.C. (2003)

    Google Scholar 

  16. Broniatowski, D.A., Moses, J.: Measuring flexibility, descriptive complexity, and rework potential in generic system architectures. Syst. Eng. 19, 207–221 (2016)

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The author is grateful to Robert Axtell for many discussions of models of organizational life and to two anonymous peer reviewers for their helpful feedback and thoughtful suggestions on a draft of this paper.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, 22030, USA

    Thomas W. Briggs

Authors
  1. Thomas W. Briggs
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Thomas W. Briggs .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. United States Military Academy, West Point, New York, USA

    Robert Thomson

  2. Bucknell University, Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, USA

    Christopher Dancy

  3. The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA

    Ayaz Hyder

  4. University of Michigan–Flint, Flint, Michigan, USA

    Halil Bisgin

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature

About this paper

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this paper

Briggs, T.W. (2018). Formal Organizations, Informal Networks, and Work Flow: An Agent-Based Model. In: Thomson, R., Dancy, C., Hyder, A., Bisgin, H. (eds) Social, Cultural, and Behavioral Modeling. SBP-BRiMS 2018. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 10899. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-93372-6_21

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-93372-6_21

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-93371-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-93372-6

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation