Integrated Simulation Of Human-task Interaction In Enterprises

The phenomena of human-task interactions exist widely in working behavior of individuals and groups in enterprises. Related Issues about human-task interactions are also significant for management. Traditional approaches of computer simulation can not be singly and effectively used for simulation analysis of human-task interactions involved with heterogeneous systems. Therefore, an integrated simulation approach for human-task interactions is proposed as a solution for the problem of integrated simulation for heterogeneous systems. It can be used in studies on individual and group behavior to analyze the laws of human-task interactions. Based on a review of related theories and literatures, the thesis explores the integrated simulation of interactions of manger-task, employee-task and member-task for individual managers, employee groups and self-managed teams respectively from the perspective of human-task interactions.Firstly, the theory of integrated simulation for human-task interactions in enterprises is put forward. An analysis points outs the issue of human-task interactions involved and the limitations of traditional simulation approaches for analysis of human-task interactions. Then, after a discussion on necessity and significance of integrating several traditional simulation approaches into one for special applications, the integrated simulation approach is designed based on the communication technique of passing messages. Then, the integrated simulation theory for human-task interactions is proposed. The integrated simulation approach overcomes the limitations of studies on integration of simulation approaches. Two simulation programs based on different simulation approaches are integrated together to simulate the dynamics of human-task interactions. The approach and theory of integration simulation provide a tool for the research on human-thing interactions and reveal the trend of researches on integrated simulation approaches.Secondly, the integrated simulation for manager-task interactions is explored based on qualitative simulation and discrete event simulation for individual mangers. The dynamics of the manger's managerial self-efficacy and its causalities are discussed. The highlighted problem of manger-task is divided into three aspects including manger, task and the interactions of manager and task. Qualitative simulation and discrete event simulation are employed for modeling, simulation and implementation of the manager's managerial self-efficacy and task flow respectively. Two simulation programs are integrated based on the communication technology of passing messages and the integrated simulation of manager-task interactions is realized finally. The research mentioned above emphasizes the understanding of interaction process of manger and his task, implements the proposed approach of integrated simulation for human-task interactions well, provides new ideas for researches on human-thing interactions in management, and remedies the defect of previous simulation studies on manger behavior. The integrated simulation system developed is a good tool appropriate for analysis of manager-task interactions.Thirdly, the integrated simulation for employee-task interactions is explored based on cellular automata for employee groups. An analysis reveals employee-task process in group behavior of employees. The approach of upgraded cellular automata integrated with causal reasoning is used for modeling and simulation of employee-task interactions. The model is implemented into a simulation system. Alter verification and validation, the system is employed for sensitivity analysis of the impact of the amount of abnormal employees and group size. The research mentioned above lays great emphasis on employee-task interaction process and its impacts on employees and tasks. A simulation approach of integrating cellular automata (mainly) and causal reasoning is employed in modeling and simulation of employee-task interactions in employee groups. The approach provides new ideas and methodology for theoretical researches on group behavior in enterprises. The integrated simulation system developed is proved to have a good interpretation for employee-task interactions and reasonable results. Therefore, it can be used to support decision-making in group management of enterprises.Finally, the integrated simulation for member-task interactions is explored based on multi-agent simulation for self-managed teams. An analysis includes the task process of self-managed teams and interaction connections hidden in the process. The relations among factors are described by a causality graph. Causal reasoning is integrated into the multi-agent model and employed in modeling and simulation of team effectiveness. The simulation model is developed into an integrated simulation system based on Repast. After verification and validation, the system is used for analysis of the impact of task size and member relationship fluctuation on team effectiveness and task allocation strategies. The research mentioned above examines the task process of self-managed team from the perspective of human-task interaction, integrates multi-agent simulation and causal reasoning for modeling and simulation of member-task interactions in self-managed teams. The research provide ideas for researches on human-thing interaction in the field of team management and the simulation system as a good platform and tool for researches on self-managed team behavior and solutions of practical problems occurred in enterprises.