Use of cellular automata models to examine complexity of organizational behaviour

The relatively new science of complex emergent processes is being applied to many fields including the study of organizations. There are many different models of the organization in current use, each with its own benefits. However, the science of complex emergent processes is able to deal with situations that conventional models have not been able to adequately describe. Wolfram's A New Kind of Science describes a comprehensive conceptual framework and scientific methodology which enables the study of organizations from a new perspective. These techniques create new ways of thinking about organizations and provide new insights into organizational behaviour. A particular class of complex emergent models are the cellular automata (CA). This thesis makes use of very basic cellular automata models described in Wolfram's A New Kind of Science to examine organizational behaviour. These models produce a variety of interesting patterns which can be easily interpreted and which graphically describe various characteristics of organizational behaviour. A variety of common types of organizational behaviour are examined and the organizational cultures which bring these behaviours about are investigated. The usefulness of using this method is considered. These techniques are then used to examine the reconstructing of Iraq in the period from the US led Coalition invasion in 2003 through to mid 2004. Several types of organizational behaviour are examined and the models are then used to examine various potential scenarios concerning the Iraq reconstruction process. The modelling outcomes about the Iraq reconstruction process are found to be comparable with the opinions of subject matter experts. Although limited in scope and only making use of a very limited class of models from all of those available in Wolfram's A New Kind of Science, this thesis demonstrated the usefulness of using such an approach in the understanding of organizational behaviour. The techniques used in this thesis, were able to demonstrate: the complex emergent properties of organizations; how organizational behaviour can be viewed as resulting from the interaction of individuals; the 'phase transitions' between different major classes of organizational behaviour; how different types of organizational behaviour are robust or otherwise to change; and how organizational behaviour forms naturally into certain common types.