A Particle Swarm Model of Organizational Adaptation

Anthony Brabazon¹, Arlindo Silva^2,3, Tiago Ferra de Sousa³, Michael O’Neill⁴, Robin Matthews⁵, and Ernesto Costa²

¹Faculty of Commerce, University College Dublin, Ireland.
anthony.Brabazon@ucd.ie

²Centro de Informatica e Sistemas da Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal
ernesto@dei.uc.pt

³Escola Superior de Tecnologia, Instituto Politecnico de Castelo Branco, Portugal
arlindo@est.ipcb.pt

⁴Biocomputing & Development Systems, University of Limerick, Ireland
Michael.ONeill@ul.ie

⁵Centre for International Business Policy, Kingston University, London, UK

Abstract. This study introduces the particle swarm metaphor to the domain of organizational adaptation. A simulation model (OrgSwarm) is constructed to examine the impact of strategic inertia, in the presence of errorful assessments of future payoffs to potential strategies, on the adaptation of the strategic fitness of a population of organizations. The results indicate that agent (organization) uncertainty as to the payoffs of potential strategies has the affect of lowering average payoffs obtained by a population of organizations. The results also indicate that a degree of strategic inertia, in the presence of an election mechanism, assists rather than hampers adaptive efforts in static and slowly changing strategic environments.

LNCS 3102, p. 12 ff.

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