Computational Models of Human Organizational Dynamics

• Main Authors: Courand, Gregg, Fehling, Michael
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Subjects: ASYMMETRY; DECISION THEORY; DYNAMIC RESPONSE; DYNAMICS; HUMAN ORGANIZATIONAL DYNAMICS; HUMANS; MANAGEMENT; MATHEMATICAL MODELS; Operations Research; ORGANIZATION THEORY; PHILOSOPHY; PLANNING; PLANNING BY ANALYSIS METHOD; RISK; Sociology and Law; THREATS

During this quarter we have begun work on a psycho-social ontology, sufficient to express the cognitive and social capacities, tendencies, and structure of individuals and organizations. This ontology will additionally include foundational categories for physical objects, structures, systems, and their dynamic behavior/processes. We have also refined our initial statement of risk management for the asymmetric threat domain. In particular, we have integrated the decision-theoretic approach within our Planning by Analysis method. In this way risk management it formalized as being in service to organizational analysis, which produces a better understanding that is itself in service to actions the organizations want to take. In summary, risk management legislates where and how much effort to invest in information gathering and organizational modeling, by placing these decisions within the larger decision of managing our relationship to an adversary. We call the resulting method Risk-Advised Planning. Plans for Next Quarter We will continue to refine the psycho-social ontology, and will begin detailed studies of an asymmetric threat organization.