Model Competition in a Work Place.
By: - Antonio Soares & Hiral Patel
PSYC 469/800 final project
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Abstract
Abstract
This paper presents an agent-based model that aims to model competition in a workplace and how affinity or networking influences success. Relational mobility of connectedness and social networks between clients, project managers, and employees. relational mobility is modeled based on the reach and demand of the clients. Results of the simulation suggest that client properties affect the positive feedback effect of success. Varying the number of clients and demand standard deviations had varying influence on the positive feedback of success.
This paper presents an agent-based model that aims to model competition in a workplace and how affinity or networking influences success. Relational mobility of connectedness and social networks between clients, project managers, and employees. relational mobility is modeled based on the reach and demand of the clients. Results of the simulation suggest that client properties affect the positive feedback effect of success. Varying the number of clients and demand standard deviations had varying influence on the positive feedback of success.
Introduction
Introduction
Today’s employees add compliance, variety, and expansion in their workplace due to the corporate environment responsibilities which encourage affinity groups to have connectedness, freedom to explore, and decision-making skill. Employees come with many different names like caucuses (conference), and networking groups. These places are for employees, students, freelancers, faculty who share common interests, goals, or ideologies.
Today’s employees add compliance, variety, and expansion in their workplace due to the corporate environment responsibilities which encourage affinity groups to have connectedness, freedom to explore, and decision-making skill. Employees come with many different names like caucuses (conference), and networking groups. These places are for employees, students, freelancers, faculty who share common interests, goals, or ideologies.
These groups serve social functions and provide a source of support for the employees. In many companies, these groups have also been integrated into the workstream. They affiliate with the project manager to sort out solutions for issues and also find ways to market their products. The affinity or networking influence of the company is based on the company's decision-making, connectedness with colleagues, learning experiences, and Freedom to explore.
These groups serve social functions and provide a source of support for the employees. In many companies, these groups have also been integrated into the workstream. They affiliate with the project manager to sort out solutions for issues and also find ways to market their products. The affinity or networking influence of the company is based on the company's decision-making, connectedness with colleagues, learning experiences, and Freedom to explore.
The model we propose will reflect this environment. We aim to show that, particularly in the context of an online world, the reach someone has contributed greatly to success. A company has a finite capacity to take on clients. The work a client needs has demands that must be met, so a company will have a project manager organize meeting the client’s needs. As project managers see more success, they will be able to handle more clients and have more employees working under them. Thus there is competition between project managers to have ‘ins’ with clients and strong ties to the employees.
The model we propose will reflect this environment. We aim to show that, particularly in the context of an online world, the reach someone has contributed greatly to success. A company has a finite capacity to take on clients. The work a client needs has demands that must be met, so a company will have a project manager organize meeting the client’s needs. As project managers see more success, they will be able to handle more clients and have more employees working under them. Thus there is competition between project managers to have ‘ins’ with clients and strong ties to the employees.
Modeling and Simulation
Modeling and Simulation
Properties of individual Agents
Agents will be employees and clients of a company like project managers accept contracts from the clients. They will also have a reach represented by patches that belong to them, employees can take on 1 of 3 job types, and clients are the agents will appear for each iteration. A property called “contract” will be used to interact with project managers.
Agents will be employees and clients of a company like project managers accept contracts from the clients. They will also have a reach represented by patches that belong to them, employees can take on 1 of 3 job types, and clients are the agents will appear for each iteration. A property called “contract” will be used to interact with project managers.
Project managers will be equidistant from each other and have an initial reach of 2x2 patches. Their position is fixed. Employees will populate randomly. The number of employees with each job will fit a 1:2:2 ratio, though this could be changed to represent the demand of particular positions. Clients have generated each time step are only present for a single iteration. Contracts will contain the number of each employee type required. The number required for each job type will follow the ratio but include some randomness. We will use 7 as the average demand, but the actual number will follow a normal distribution.
Agents Interaction Rules
Project managers (PMs) search for a client.
PMs will link with all the clients in their reach. If there is at least one client in the reach, the PM does not search for a client outside their reach. Otherwise, they find up to 1 client outside their reach.
Then PMs search for the employees needed to meet the demand.
Employees (and clients) within a project manager's reach are inaccessible to other project managers.
The project manager's reach increases by a radius of 1 if the contract is met, and decreases the same amount if it is not.
Employees will randomly move from 0-2 patches in any direction each time step if they are not in a successful contract. If they are in a successful contract, they will move 2 patches towards the PM.
Measures of Affinity or networking influence.
The affinity or networking influence of the company is based on the client's decision-making, connectedness with colleagues, and Freedom to explore. Having knowledge or experience based on the project increases the probability to get selected for the project (1) by the project manager as an employee and (2) by the client as project manager. The client's decision-making is based on experience, combating problems and challenges, and increasing benefits for an employee by challenging them competitively. Connectedness with colleagues includes the gathering of ideas and team spirit. Freedom to explore gives an employee a chance to express themselves, expand thinking power, allow employees to share their common goal and ideology, form a network, and discuss with each other many crucial issues. They can openly talk about the topics on which they are unable to discuss due to their hectic work schedule and deadlines.
The affinity or networking influence of the company is based on the client's decision-making, connectedness with colleagues, and Freedom to explore. Having knowledge or experience based on the project increases the probability to get selected for the project (1) by the project manager as an employee and (2) by the client as project manager. The client's decision-making is based on experience, combating problems and challenges, and increasing benefits for an employee by challenging them competitively. Connectedness with colleagues includes the gathering of ideas and team spirit. Freedom to explore gives an employee a chance to express themselves, expand thinking power, allow employees to share their common goal and ideology, form a network, and discuss with each other many crucial issues. They can openly talk about the topics on which they are unable to discuss due to their hectic work schedule and deadlines.
Simulation Plan
The average number of employees will be 20 with an SD of .5. This number will be multiplied by the ratio for the employee type. The number of clients will have an average of 5 and the average demand for each type will be 7 multiplied by the ratio for that employee type. The standard deviation for client number and demand will be varied from .5 to 1.5. 10 samples will be taken for each parameter setting. The average length of ticks before a PM takes over will be used to compare the conditions.
We predict that once a project manager has a large reach, other project managers will have trouble filling the needs of clients. On the other hand, if the reach is big enough to take too many clients, there is a chance for the other project managers to become the biggest. Varying the SD instead of mean is meant to produce more variability between ticks.
Simulation Result
Simulation Result
We aimed to show how client properties can affect the competition of project managers with fixed employees. The duration of the simulations indicate how readily previous success determines future success, therefore the failure of other managers. A shorter duration means that there is a positive feedback effect for success, while longer duration would not support that as much.
It was observed that a client SD of 1 most consistently produced a short duration.
Client SD of .5 generally has the longest duration, with the exception of client SD of 1.5 with a demand SD of .5.
Given that the demand SD of .5 has the longest duration in client SD of .5 and 1.5, it would suggest that client SD of 1 has some interaction effect with demand SD of .5.
In short, client SD of 1 produces a short duration. The longest duration is produced by demand SD of .5 except in client SD of 1.
Assumption and Consideration
Assumption and Consideration
The company only does as much work as it can handle, so it does not outsource and could have clients that do not get a project manager. The company also does not hire or fire, though this could be a point to extend our model. The number and ratio of employees fit the average contracts because we assume the company decides these values based on the contracts. A project manager could have a large reach and therefore could occupy many employees that are not required for a current contract. Even if another project manager has a demand, they cannot access the employees. The idea is when a project manager has a large reach, they essentially retain a team of employees to handle the increased demand a large reach poses. Employees moving randomly serves a few purposes. It introduces noise to account for there initially being a pool of employees. This way the ability of a project manager to access employees is not fixed. We could potentially add an affinity to successful project managers. Employees would move closer to the project when part of a successful contract, and further when it is unsuccessful. The random motion would still be included.
The company only does as much work as it can handle, so it does not outsource and could have clients that do not get a project manager. The company also does not hire or fire, though this could be a point to extend our model. The number and ratio of employees fit the average contracts because we assume the company decides these values based on the contracts. A project manager could have a large reach and therefore could occupy many employees that are not required for a current contract. Even if another project manager has a demand, they cannot access the employees. The idea is when a project manager has a large reach, they essentially retain a team of employees to handle the increased demand a large reach poses. Employees moving randomly serves a few purposes. It introduces noise to account for there initially being a pool of employees. This way the ability of a project manager to access employees is not fixed. We could potentially add an affinity to successful project managers. Employees would move closer to the project when part of a successful contract, and further when it is unsuccessful. The random motion would still be included.
Implications
Implications
The success of a project manager is largely determined by their relational connectedness with clients and employees. In this model, it is operationalized as reach and primarily influenced by success. In a virtual and highly interconnected environment, having strong influence or affinity with others is influential to success.
Other factors that can influence connectedness and success:
Employee resistance or confusion over the project guidelines.
Being less confident and doesn’t have a positive attitude to overcome challenges could affect the results.
References
References
1) Shethna, J. (2021, March 26). Affinity Groups in The Workplace: 8 Brilliant Features of Affinity Groups. EDUCBA. https://www.educba.com/affinity-groups-in-the-workplace/
2) Joshi, A. (2006). The influence of organizational demography on the external networking behavior of teams. The Academy of Management Review, 31(3), 583-595. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/20159230
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