Evolution of knowledge management strategies in organizational populations: a simulation model

Abstract

Knowledge flows among organizations play a key role in the evolution of industries and firms in the information economy. In this paper we develop an evolutionary agent-based simulation model derived from a knowledge-based theoretical framework, the I-Space, and use it to explore the effect of knowledge management strategies on the evolution of a group of knowledge-intensive organizations located in a given geographical area. After introducing the conceptual issues involved, we describe the main features of the agent-based model. We then present the results of different runs of the simulation model. From the analysis that follows, we derive a set of hypotheses on the influence of knowledge management strategies and the degree of development of information and communication technologies on the evolution of organizational populations. We conclude the paper by assessing the adequacy of the simulation approach for these kinds of problems and by suggesting some avenues for further research.