Modelling culture in multi-agent organizations

Abstract

We introduce a novel way to model and visualize culture in multi-agent organizations exploring the multi-dimensionality of culture and cultural modelling from a complex systems and multi-agent systems standpoint. The need for performing such modelling and simulation is evident since in-vivo organizational experiments are costly, not easily generalizable, and may not be feasible in critical situations. The proposed model enables one to point to strategies for organizational transformation/evolution by i) developing a unique approach to culture modelling from a holistic and systems-theoretic perspective according to seven dimensions, and ii) simulating cultural interactions as a multi-agent system that achieves an equilibrium of beliefs. Incipient results with a simple model reveal the dynamics of emergent culture of an agent organization having distinct roles and influences that develop as new individuals are added to the system. © 2012 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.