Modeling Change in Fields of Organizations: A Simulation Study

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

This research develops a set of computer simulations to extract the logical implications of the PI's ecological theory of the competition of social groups for members over time. The theory argues that groups interact with each other through the population of individuals which flow into and out of these groupings. The population of individuals is characterized as a set of points whose locations are defined by sociodemographic dimensions. These dimensions form a "phase space" within which social forms grow, decline, and change their characteristics over time. The short term (10-15 years) implications of the theory have been successfully tested in populations of voluntary associations, of U.S. occupations, and of cultural forms. A set of computer simulation studies will allow the exploration of how social groups and other entities develop under a larger range of population parameters. The Group Action Simulation Program (GASP) examines the effects of variations in several important parameters governing the behavior of the theoretical model, including (1) the rates at which people enter and exit from organizations, (2) the force of homophily among individuals' network ties, and (3) the extent of competition among groups. Outcome variables to be studied include tie stability, group size, group age, group overlap, group dispersion, and the number of groups in the system. In addition, the project explores the conditions under which organizational populations stabilize or fail to stabilize under these varying behavioral parameters.