The Effects of Disorganization on Goals and Problem Solving

This chapter presents an agent-based simulation of the ability of employees to solve problems. The primary aim of the chapter is to discern the difference in problem solving under two structural conditions. One has rigid structural constraints imposed on the agents while the other has very little structural constraints (called “disorganization” in this work). The simulation further utilizes organizational goals as a basis for motivation and studies the effects of disorganization on goals and motivation. Results from the simulation show that, under the condition of a more disorganized environment, the number of problems solved is relatively higher than under the condition of a less disorganized and more structured environment.