Computer simulation and organizational studies

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Computer simulation is a prominent method in organizational studies and strategic management. While there are many uses for <a href="/facts/Computer_simulation/Re6o8vzN">computer simulation</a> (including the development of engineering systems inside high-technology firms), most academics in the fields of <a href="/facts/Strategic_management/b4kFnS66">strategic management</a> and <a href="/facts/Organizational_studies/7ucz9TRo">organizational studies</a> have used computer simulation to understand how organizations or firms operate. More recently, however, researchers have also started to apply computer simulation to understand <a href="/facts/Organizational_behaviour/avhaCkCp">organizational behaviour</a> at a more micro-level, focusing on individual and interpersonal <a href="/facts/Cognition/ga0tSBul">cognition</a> and <a href="/facts/Behavior/0Y1VqmVX">behavior</a> such as <a href="/facts/Teamwork/Erx0C3Jw">team working</a>.
</p><p>While the strategy researchers have tended to focus on testing theories of firm performance, many <a href="/facts/Organizational_theorist/CxbpNrY2">organizational theorists</a> are focused on more descriptive theories, the one uniting theme has been the use of <a href="/facts/Computational_model/dq1CR6us">computational models</a> to either verify or extend theories. It is perhaps no accident that those researchers using computational simulation have been inspired by ideas from <a href="/facts/Mathematical_model/CGhyuxgz">biological modeling</a>, <a href="/facts/Ecology/YE8upuJU">ecology</a>, <a href="/facts/Theoretical_physics/Cs2Y12rQ">theoretical physics</a> and <a href="/facts/Thermodynamics/q4hIx3yP">thermodynamics</a>, <a href="/facts/Chaos_theory/LTC17vsF">chaos theory</a>, <a href="/facts/Complexity_theory_and_organization_studies/XH91KN0k">complexity theory and organization studies</a> since these methods have also been fruitfully used in those areas.
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Computer simulation and organizational studies open-in-new

Computer simulation and organizational studies