Developmental Paper

Track: Organizational Studies

Dr Maria Kapsali at m.kapsali@imperial.ac.uk

BAM 2010

The boundary role of simulation models and the

influence of the modelling approach

- The roles simulation models can play in health

care planning – BO, EO, RO, TO

a) Stakeholder diversity and distance influence

the choice of modelling approach

b) The link between the type of modelling and

the role of the model

The questions

Issues in the questions

Choice of planning model

Uncertainty

Complexity and aggregation

Level of abstraction SD/DES

Stakeholders

Heterogeneity

The levels of interest and background coalition

Communities of interest and communities of practice

3

The social roles of the model

1. The Boundary Object

2. The Epistemic Object

3. The Representative Object

4. The Technical Object

www.imperial.ac.uk/business-school

Epistemic Object

(create knowledge)

Technical Object

(make knowledge

available)

Boundary Object

(facilitate

communication

across boundaries)

Learn as group Experiment and

express

Representative

Object

(represent reality)

Explore (e.g.

microworld)

Predict

www.imperial.ac.uk/business-school

Project

Client

Project Management

GroupCommunity of

Interest

Community of Practice

MODEL Epistemic

Object

(create

knowledge)

Technical Object

(make

knowledge

available)

Boundary Object

(facilitate

communication

across

boundaries)

Learn as group Experiment and

express

Representative

Object

(represent reality)

Explore (e.g.

microworld)

Predict

www.imperial.ac.uk/business-school

Any other elements ?

• (disparate) knowledge domains

• (differing) incentives

• (common) goals

• (shared) language

• social ties

Group

• Role of randomness

• Role of feedback

• Relevant level of aggregationSystem

• Operational vs. strategic

• Goal of planning process / modelling engagement

Problem

Questions for discussion

1. What is the actual “journey” of the roles through the

modelling process? Is it a parade, an interchange, mixed

ad-hoc or is it many roles simultaneously to different

people? Is there a dominant (and other lesser) paths?

2. How exactly do we define representation? Which are its

elements, its function and the links with the others?

3. Other questions?