Slides
Organisations are collaborations, target orientated (organisations are a means to an end), can be
formal or informal and are relatively permanent.
We-intentions, external en internal perspective
Organisations use resources including (information) technologies
Within organisations there are coordination and task distribution mechanisms (hence agent-
roles)
A systems perspective on organisations:
A system is a set of elements ('components’) with relationships between them.
A system has relationships to its environment.
Depending on our perspective we choose what is in or out the system
We can perceive/describe a system from an internal or external perspective.
Systems:
Systems have a structure defined by their components/elements and composition;
Systems show behaviour, requiring input, processing and output of resources, including energy,
data etc.;
Systems have interconnectivity, i.e. different system parts have functional and structural
relationships to other parts.
Systems can be attributed with functions
Network organisations pro’s and cons:
Economy of scale
Specialisation & (knowledge) productivity
Resilience and flexibility
Vulnerability due to interconnectivity
Levels of network organisations:
Micro level; model to understand the function(ing) of one specific model node (one
organisation)
Meso level; model a subsystem, i.e. the nodes and edges forming a particular interconnected set
of nodes forming the subsystem of interest
Macro level; model the system of interest in order to study the emerging effects on society
level.
Two ways of modelling:
- Knowledge-driven: search for theories and evidence, supported by empirical data
- Data-driven: search for data and inductively find relations
What is a model?
A model (M) for a system (S) and an experiment (E) is anything to which E can be applied in order to
answer questions about S.”
By definition, a model can be qualified as a system, which allows to cut out smaller pieces to
generate a new model (implying a hierarchy of models). We have to choose the level of abstraction!
A model has limitations:
- It has a domain of validity
- It only represents part of the original system
- Its output will not exactly match that of the original system (i.e. It has a limited accuracy)
Organisations are collaborations, target orientated (organisations are a means to an end), can be
formal or informal and are relatively permanent.
We-intentions, external en internal perspective
Organisations use resources including (information) technologies
Within organisations there are coordination and task distribution mechanisms (hence agent-
roles)
A systems perspective on organisations:
A system is a set of elements ('components’) with relationships between them.
A system has relationships to its environment.
Depending on our perspective we choose what is in or out the system
We can perceive/describe a system from an internal or external perspective.
Systems:
Systems have a structure defined by their components/elements and composition;
Systems show behaviour, requiring input, processing and output of resources, including energy,
data etc.;
Systems have interconnectivity, i.e. different system parts have functional and structural
relationships to other parts.
Systems can be attributed with functions
Network organisations pro’s and cons:
Economy of scale
Specialisation & (knowledge) productivity
Resilience and flexibility
Vulnerability due to interconnectivity
Levels of network organisations:
Micro level; model to understand the function(ing) of one specific model node (one
organisation)
Meso level; model a subsystem, i.e. the nodes and edges forming a particular interconnected set
of nodes forming the subsystem of interest
Macro level; model the system of interest in order to study the emerging effects on society
level.
Two ways of modelling:
- Knowledge-driven: search for theories and evidence, supported by empirical data
- Data-driven: search for data and inductively find relations
What is a model?
A model (M) for a system (S) and an experiment (E) is anything to which E can be applied in order to
answer questions about S.”
By definition, a model can be qualified as a system, which allows to cut out smaller pieces to
generate a new model (implying a hierarchy of models). We have to choose the level of abstraction!
A model has limitations:
- It has a domain of validity
- It only represents part of the original system
- Its output will not exactly match that of the original system (i.e. It has a limited accuracy)
