Hypothesis Testing of Edge Organizations

1
Hypothesis Testing of Edge Organizations

• Edge Project Workshop 1
• Mark Nissen, Naval Postgraduate School
• 3 December 2004
• Stanford University

2
Motivation

• Edge organization is bold proposal
• Distribution of power self-synchronization
  awareness vs. bounded rationality very large
  complex organization
• Edge concept remains primitive
• Narrow theoretical basis untested performance
  propositions missing contingency/fit perspective
  actionable knowledge
• Project to test Edge hypotheses
• ID essential properties operationalize model
  Edge vs. other orgs compare performance fit
  computationally

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Conceptual Models

• OASD/NII Office of Force Transformation
• Theory, metrics case studies place to
  start modeling

4
Conceptual Models

• NATO SAS-050
• 3 views, 4 domains, 5-level diagram place to
  start modeling

5
Immediately Relevant Literature

• Network-centric concepts
• esp. Edge organizations, conceptual models,
  network-centric warfare, command control
  doctrine, network-centric cases
• Parts B D of this project
• esp. organizational forms, power, trust,
  inventory
• Organizational design/fit
• esp. organizational diagnosis design,
  interdependencies, coordination, information
  processing location

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Immediately Relevant Literature

• Knowledge dynamics
• esp. knowledge management flows, organizational
  learning memory, communities of practice,
  translation of ideas
• Computational modeling
• esp. computational organization theory, model
  validation, computational experimentation
• Others
• Organizations possessing Edge-like
  characteristics?

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Open Issues Research Question

• Open Issues
• Defining essence of Edge organizations
• Using theory to conceptualize Edge archetype
• Modeling computationally Edge vs other orgs,
  military vs other environments, dynamics of power
  knowledge
• Trading off dynamic performance and fit measures
• Validating results generalizing beyond the
  military
• Research Question
• How can methods tools of computational
  experimentation be employed to assess the dynamic
  performance and fit of Edge organizations?

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General Research Design
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Computational Experimentation
Control
Org theory
Validation
Ethnography

• Mitigates weaknesses of both
• Not as good as either

• Cost Speed
• Control
• Internal validity
• External validity
• Generalizability

- Cost Speed - Control - Internal
validity External validity Generalizability
Computer model
Analytical Lab methods
Field methods
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Mintzberg Diagrams
Edge others?
Others (e.g., Division, Adhocracy)
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Thank You

• Comments suggestions most welcome!