Modeling behavioral traits of employees in a workplace with cellular automata

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to examine a parameterized working environment on the basis of behavioral traits of employees in an organization. Firstly we define several behavioral traits of the employees, including the employee's attitude in the workplace, the influence radius and her/his reluctance to adapt to organizational norms, stated as insistence. The combination of these traits allows us to model employee interactions to a satisfactory extent for a realistic model of the working environment. Secondly, we define two metrics illustrating the policies adopted by the organization either to restrain unwanted or impose desirable behavioral patterns. Finally, the corresponding Cellular Automaton (CA) model enables us to utilize the aforementioned parameters and to simulate the under study workplace. The presented simulation results can be used as a complementary tool for managerial decisions illustrating workplace dynamics and forecast future trends. © 2014 Springer-Verlag.