An agent-based approach for structured modeling,analysis and improvement of safety culture

Safety culture is broadly recognized as important for operational safety in various fields, including air traffic management, power plant control and health care. Previous studies addressed characterization and assessment of safety culture extensively. Nevertheless, relations between safety culture and formal and informal organizational structures and processes are yet not well understood. To address this gap, a new, formal, agent-based approach is proposed. This paper shows the application of the approach to an air navigation service provider, including structured modeling, analysis and identification of improvement strategies for the organizational safety culture. The model results have been validated using safety culture data that had been achieved by an independent safety culture survey study.     

知识获取视角下用户持续参与众包创新的动态控制策略

众包创新作为企业充分利用外部群体智慧以实现创新的新型开放式创新模式,其本质是企业突破组织界限,获取与整合外部网络知识以提升创新绩效。由于创新任务复杂多样、用户参与自由自愿等特征,导致在众包创新实践中用户持续参与意愿不足、创新效果不好等现象。为此,基于关系营销和知识共享相关理论,界定面向众包创新的知识承诺概念,认为知识获取视角下用户持续参与众包创新的本质是众包参与双方的知识承诺建立,进而分析众包创新中知识承诺的关键影响因素,构建用户持续参与众包创新的动态优化决策模型,通过求解和算例分析探讨最优决策结果,给出引导用户持续参与众包创新的最优控制准则。     

Evaluating systems thinking in housing

This paper describes and evaluates work carried out in the social housing context in the United Kingdom using a systems thinking approach called ‘lean systems’ (LS). The work, sponsored by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, was designed to test whether LS could improve the efficiency of delivery of housing management and maintenance services. A pilot programme was developed in which three housing organizations used the approach in different service areas. The results indicate that LS can yield efficiency gains and improvements in service performance, customer satisfaction and staff morale—although securing and sustaining these results requires considerable organizational commitment. The LS approach is outlined, work in the pilots described and the results presented. A theoretical analysis seeks to locate LS in the spectrum of systems methodologies and to delimit its particular area of competence.     

A unit commitment-based fuzzy bilevel electricity trading model under load uncertainty

In this study, we establish a bilevel electricity trading model where fuzzy set theory is applied to address future load uncertainty, system reliability as well as human imprecise knowledge. From the literature, there have been some studies focused on this bilevel problem while few of them consider future load uncertainty and unit commitment optimization which handles the collaboration of generation units. Then, our study makes the following contributions: First, the future load uncertainty is characterized by fuzzy set theory, as the various factors that affect the load forecasting are often assessed with some non-statistical uncertainties. Second, the generation costs are obtained by solving complicated unit commitment problems, rather than approximate calculations used in existing studies. Third, this model copes with the optimizations of both the generation companies and the market operator, where the unexpected load risk is particularly analyzed by using fuzzy value-at-risk as a quantitative risk measurement. Forth, a mechanism to encourage the convergence of the bilevel model is proposed based on fuzzy maxmin approach, and a bilevel particle swarm optimization algorithm is developed to solve the problem in a proper runtime. To illustrate the effectiveness of this research, we provide a test system-based numerical example and discuss about the experimental results according to the principle of social welfare maximization. Finally, we also compare the model and algorithm with conventional methods.     

Involving Users in the Development of Decision-Analytic Aids: The Principal Factor in Successful Implementation

Decision-analytic techniques and aids have been used successfully in a wide range of settings to help decision makers sytematically evaluate alternative means of resolving a problem. On the basis of this success. it is anticipated that organizations will increasingly desire decision-analytic aids with stand-alone capabilities for routine use without outside consultation. The paper's thesis is that decision-analytic aids will seldom achieve stand-alone capabilities unless eventual users are involved throughout the development process. User involvement develops the understanding and commitment necessary for implementing a different decision-making approach and tailors aid characteristics to the users' needs within their organizational context. Although the need for user involvement appears obvious, it has often been neglected in the development of analytical decision aids, with the result being unsuccessful implementation.     

Modelling in the absence of data: a case study of fleet maintenance in a developing country

Adequate and relevant objective data for modelling maintenance decision problems are often incomplete or not readily accessible. This is particularly true in developing countries. In this paper the experience gained between 1991–95 in conducting a maintenance study of an inter-city express bus fleet in a developing country is presented. The lack of available maintenance records and operating data rendered the study the most data-starved maintenance modelling exercise the authors have met before or since. The study required the use of subjective methods to both define the problem and to estimate parameters, and the application of recently developed concepts in maintenance modelling along with snapshot analysis and delay time modelling. This imposed a structured approach to problem recognition and problem solution. The study contributed both directly and indirectly to a change in work culture and to a reduction in bus breakdown rate. The company was re-visited 5?years later specifically to seek evidence of lasting impact. Some evidence existed and is reported in the paper.     

Pursuing excellence in mathematics classroom instruction through exemplary lesson development in China: a case study

In this article, we aim to examine the features of mathematics classroom instruction excellence valued in China. The popular approach to pursuing mathematics classroom instruction excellence through exemplary lesson development is also investigated to demonstrate the nature of teaching culture that has been advocated and nurtured in China. Features of an exemplary lesson are analyzed in detail, and the practicing teacher’s experience through participating in the development of the exemplary lesson is examined as well. Finally, the implications of developing exemplary lessons for pursuing excellence in mathematics classroom instruction as a culturally valued approach in China are also discussed.     

团队目标导向影响因素的探索性研究:基于扎根理论和概念格-加权群组DEMATEL方法

团队目标导向对团队目标的实现有重要的引导作用,研究团队目标导向的影响因素是从根本上加强团队目标导向引导作用的前提基础。本研究以人的认知为视角,首先通过扎根理论方法从质化研究角度选取团队目标导向的影响因素,其次运用概念格-加权群组DEMATEL方法进行影响因素重要度的识别,在此基础上以实例的形式分别运用传统DEMATEL方法和概念格-加权群组DEMATEL方法计算影响因素的重要程度,并对计算结果的差异进行比较分析,得出团队目标导向受个体层面和组织层面因素的影响更大,其中最重要的影响因素是组织承诺和组织公平感,并为企业管理者提出相应管理启示。     

Policy analysis and organizational politics

It is widely recognized that the formulation and implementation of policy is a ‘political’ process. Yet this aspect of policy and policy making remains rarely explicity included in the analysis and models of the professional policy analyst. Where political aspects have been considered the emphasis has tended to be upon the legitimated political arena rather than internal organizational politics. It is our concentention that to ignore the internal political dimension is to decrease significantly the effectiveness of the policy analyst in aiding and influencing the policy-making process. The purpose of this article is to explore this concentention and specifically to discuss a particular approach to policy analysis derived from it. It is one which involves the construction of models for the policy maker as client that are importantly different in nature from typical rational-scientific models of operational research. The models deliberately attempt to successfully capture his attention and commitment because they reflect the ramifications of his political organizational environment as well as the more legitimate technical aspects of his problem. The conceptual framework and methodology that underlie this approach use concepts and methods drawn from ideas in cognitive psychology and sociology and political science, as well as operational research. The paper discusses these perspectives and points to potential uses of the models we have constructed by providing examples derived specifically from work we are currently undertaking in the public sector.     

Mathematic education in a cultural setting

The paper develops some proposals for curriculum development in mathematics based on an analysis of the intercultural transmission of mathematical knowledge. By introducing a concept of culture which calls for an analysis of individual and social behaviours, we are lead to recognize ‘ethnomathematics’ as a form of structured knowledge and to recognize ‘matheracy’ as a characteristic behaviour of human beings. Upon these two concepts, we introduce a theoretical framework for curriculum development in mathematics.

Curricular space is conceptualized as a three‐dimensional space with components, contents, methods and objectives considered solidarily. This relies upon an epistemology of action, based on an integration of episteme, techne and praxis. This allows for an approach in which theory and practice are in a dialectical relationship. Special reference is made to the problems of mathematical education for culturally differentiated groups, and in particular to the situation in third‐world countries.     

Computation of availability of a real-time system using queueing theory methodology

In this paper we consider a real-time multiserver (such as machine controllers) and multichannel (such as regions and assembly lines) systems involving maintenance. Our objective is to fit these systems into the framework of queueing models and thus to justify the use of the powerful queueing theory analytical methods in the analysis of real-time systems. The main difficulty is that real-time systems by their very nature do not permit queues. To resolve this contradiction we use a dual approach in which we consider jobs as servers and servers as jobs. We adjust the traditional definition of availability for the real-time systems under consideration and show how to compute the system’s availability, when both service and maintenance times are exponentially distributed (birth-and-death process). At this stage we restrict ourselves to a worst case (maximum load regime), which is most typical in high-performance data acquisition and control (production and military) systems.     

民企家长型领导、组织承诺与组织绩效的关系研究

以广东、广西68家民营企业的159名管理者及员工的调查结果为样本,实证分析了民企家长型领导、组织承诺与组织绩效的关系.研究发现:家长型领导行为中德行领导对组织承诺及组织绩效具有较大程度的影响,仁慈领导能够有效地促进员工组织承诺的提升并改善组织绩效,而威权领导则不利于员工组织承诺的提升.组织承诺在德行领导和仁慈领导与组织绩效的关系中有着积极的中介作用,在威权领导与组织绩效间的关系不明确.     

基于组织承诺的企业员工激励机制设计

通过建立数学模型,在传统委托代理理论基础上,将组织承诺纳入企业员工激励机制研究。首先,在员工的组织承诺类型可被观测的信息对称情形下,讨论最优的显性与隐性激励机制。进而,在员工的组织承诺类型无法被观测的信息非对称情形下,探讨依据企业员工的不同外在特征,如风险厌恶程度、工作成本和工作能力等,选择最优的激励机制。最后,进一步考察了企业生产中依赖于人力劳动程度的高低,对员工激励机制设计产生的影响。本研究不仅在理论上完善和拓展了传统委托代理理论,也从组织行为学视角为切实解决企业员工激励问题提供了新的思路与对策。     

Sociocultural perspectives in research on and with mathematics teachers: a zone theory approach

Sociocultural theories view teacher learning as changing participation in social practices that develop their professional identities rather than as acquisition of new knowledge or beliefs that are internal to the individual. Although sociocultural research on mathematics teacher education has tended to focus on understanding teachers’ learning, this article argues that sociocultural perspectives can also guide more interventionist research involving changing classroom practice. The approach illustrated here uses an adaptation of Valsiner’s zone theory to analyse teacher learning and development in two separate research studies. In one study the aim was to understand how teachers incorporated digital technologies into their practice, while the other study helped teachers implement an investigative approach to working mathematically consistent with a new syllabus. In both studies, productive tensions between teachers’ beliefs, contexts, and goals were a trigger for learning and development.     

组织文化的演进及其对企业绩效的影响

化作为维持竞争优势的一个源泉，对于企业绩效有着重要的影响作用。本在回顾组织化理论研究演进过程的基础上，探讨了组织化的理论基础，同时分析组织化对企业绩效的影响，分析加强了我们对于企业如何获得良好绩效的理解，奠定了企业取得成功的基础。     

The impact of information technology on organizational efficiency in public services: a DEA-based DT approach

This study attempts to examine the impact of information technology (IT) on organizational efficiency in public services. We propose a new approach to providing the directions of IT investments to improve organizational efficiency. The proposed approach is based on the integrated form of data envelopment analysis (DEA) and decision tree (DT), and composed of two steps. First, DEA is conducted to measure organizational efficiency with the selected inputs and outputs. Second, DT is built based on efficiency scores obtained from DEA and IT factors, as a target variable and predictor variables, respectively. In doing so, we can identify the relative impact of IT investments on organizational efficiency and set priorities to the IT investments to improve efficiency from a view point of each organization. A case study on the Korean local governments is presented to illustrate the usefulness of the proposed approach.     

A Trajectory for Validating Computational Emulation Models of Organizations

Validation of complex simulation models is a challenging problem in computational organization theory research. In this paper, we describe a validation strategy suitable for emulation simulation systems, and show how a comprehensive validation consists of a sequence of steps that evaluate different aspects of a computational organizational simulation model. We demonstrate how this strategy can be applied to the evaluation of the Virtual Team Alliance (VTA), an emulation simulation system designed to guide managers charged with organizational change. VTA required a &201C;trajectory&201D; of successive validation experiments, before managers where willing to follow the recommendations of VTA. Ultimately, we believe this validation approach can be applied to a wide range of different simulation systems, and will make identification of the strengths and weaknesses of organizational simulations easier.     

Two-stage network constrained robust unit commitment problem

For a current deregulated power system, a large amount of operating reserve is often required to maintain the reliability of the power system using traditional approaches. In this paper, we propose a two-stage robust optimization model to address the network constrained unit commitment problem under uncertainty. In our approach, uncertain problem parameters are assumed to be within a given uncertainty set. We study cases with and without transmission capacity and ramp-rate limits (The latter case was described in Zhang and Guan (2009), for which the analysis part is included in Section 3 in this paper). We also analyze solution schemes to solve each problem that include an exact solution approach and an efficient heuristic approach that provides tight lower and upper bounds for the general network constrained robust unit commitment problem. The final computational experiments on an IEEE 118-bus system verify the effectiveness of our approaches, as compared to the nominal model without considering the uncertainty.     

Suitability and managerial implications of a Master Surgical Scheduling approach

Operating room (OR) planning and scheduling is a popular and challenging subject within the operational research applied to health services research (ORAHS). However, the impact in practice is very limited. The organization and culture of a hospital and the inherent characteristics of its processes impose specific implementation issues that affect the success of planning approaches. Current tactical OR planning approaches often fail to account for these issues. Master surgical scheduling (MSS) is a promising approach for hospitals to optimize resource utilization and patient flows. We discuss the pros and cons of MSS and compare MSS with centralized and decentralized planning approaches. Finally, we address various implementation issues of MSS and discuss its suitability for hospitals with different organizational foci and culture.