EXPERT SYSTEMS FOR ORGANIZATIONAL DESIGN: A DEMONSTRATION Developments In Business Simulation & Experiential Exercises, Volume 19, 1992 238 EXPERT SYSTEMS FOR ORGANIZATIONAL DESIGN: A DEMONSTRATION James A. Sena, California Polytechnic State University A. B. (Rami) Shani. California Polytechnic State University ABSTRACT This demonstration project uses a prototype expert system developed on a MAC Ilsi using the HyperX software package under a hypercard environment to illustrate deployment of the business analysis and design framework for organizational evaluation. INTRODUCTION The improvement of quality is no longer considered some soft heritage of the spoiling seventies. It is crucial for the survival and competitiveness of the firm. The field of organization design has become an increasing popular avenue that managers consult for specific solutions and guidance for business improvements. The discipline of organization design evolved over the past century both as a field of academic study and as an applied organization development technology. The Sociotechnical Systems Framework Based on Sociotechnical System Theory a comprehensive practical framework has been developed. The framework identifies seven key factors - each of which is composed of few variables-and examines the cause-and-effect relationship among them as well as their effect on organizational performance. The factors include Business Results. Business Situation, Business Strategy. Business Design, Organizational Culture. Change Strategy and the Management of Change. Guiding the managers in the process of the continuous reformulation of the business design seems to be the crucial challenge. Using the Sociotechnical Systems framework we have developed a prototype expert system for the manager. The purpose of this system is to allow managers. planners and/or consultants to examine an organization in terms of its total business practices. Through an interactive dialogue the system user can respond to a series of grouped questions that could result in a set of recommendations and suggestions for organizational change. Prototype Expert System The prototype system has several parts. Beginning with an assessment of the Business Results: proceeding to the Business Situation; examining the Business Strategy and Business Design; given these examinations the Business Culture is reviewed and recommendations for Change are generated. The system is designed for users with knowledge of their industry. Ideally the system should be consulted by several persons familiar with the target company. The system is intended to stimulate creative interactions among the participants. This system would probably he accompanied by some form of group development and assessment of the organization. The initial system has been created on a MAC Ilsi system using the HyperX expert system development shell. HyperX is designed to work under a Hypercard environment. Once the rules were entered this environment facilitated tailoring of the expert system to present a user interface that is easily understood by the manger and provides sufficient explanatory power for the systems use and its rationale for recommendations. OPERATION OF THE PROTOTYPE Upon entering the Sociotechnical expert system the user is greeted with a title card for the Business Review and Design Tool. From this card the user can return to the HyperX title card, begin a consultation or enter the help facility. The help facility provides an explanation about the five categories (eg. the Business Results). By selecting a category the components (e.g. Financial Assessment. Customer Expectations. etc.) are presented. Explanations of use and interrogation are given for each of these components. The consultation takes the user through a series of question and answer cards (e.g. Are you meeting Customer Expectations?). If a user wants more information on a question they can request this from the system. Following the answers to the questions the responses are analyzed and a conclusion card is presented with a set of recommendations for the user. A Smart card option is also provided to show the user the activity or rationale for the conclusions. Table of Contents Volume 19, 1992 The Pedagogical Utility of a Management Simulation Game in a Business Policy Course Modeling Economic Environments in Business Simulations: Some Comparisons and Recommendations Experiential Learning and TQM Principles: Teaching Behavioral Science in a Business School The Use of Poster Presentations as a Final Project in the Business Policy Course The Device Business: A Management Simulation for Strategy Formulation The Advantages of Experiential learning in the Auditing curriculum A Framework for the Identification of Moderated and Mediated Performance consequences of Pedagogical Alternatives Simulating Qualitative Research Relating to Values and Lifestyle Segmentation A New Market Demand Model for Business Simulators Interactive Optimization Using the Method of Relative Improvement Preferences: Methodology and Empirical Evaluation The Service Trainer Simulation Benefits of Internet Computer Networks for ABSEL Members How Should We Measure Experiential Learning? An Assessment of Simulation Usage in Management Accounting Courses The Influence of Myers-Briggs Type and Group Dynamics on Simulation Performance Effective Leadership Behavior in the Desert Storm Arena: An Application of the Vroom-Yetton-Jago Model Installing and Consolidating Work-Team Values: The Effects of a Multicultural Outdoors Experiential Program Key Determinants and Decision performance in a Business Simulations and Experiential Learning environment Multi-Cultural Experiential Learning: A Computer Simulation in Indonesia Attitudes Toward and Emotions Related to Women as Managers: A Replication and Beyond Scenario Approach to Simulating Consumer Expenditures: A Cross-Cultural Analysis Insights into Ethical Decision making Activities and Organizational Performance: A Management Simulation Analysis of College Students and Managers Evaluating a Business Simulation Program for Joint Venture Negotiation and Management Teaching Business Interviewing Strategies with an Experiential Approach Cooperative Learning Across the Business Curriculum Modeling Total Quality Elements into a Strategy-Oriented Simulation Teaching Business Decision making using a Simulator Extending the Educational Utility of a Simulated Competition within the Confines of an Established Undergraduate Marketing Curriculum Expert Systems Versus Traditional Methods for Teaching Accounting Issues Confidence Extremes Diminish Quality Performance in a Total Enterprise Simulation Can Ethics Be Taught? A Simulation Tests a Traditional Ethics Pedagogy Through The Looking Glass, Inc.: Organizational Climate Research as Experiential Pedagogy The use of Cluster Analysis for Business Game Performance Analysis Power and Ethnicity: An Experiential Learning Exercise (How to Sensitize Students to Diversity) Directed Development of Critical and Creative Thinking Skills for Case Analysis Implementing Total Quality Management in a Computerized Business Simulation Product Quality in Business Simulations Use of Simulation for Ethics Education in Management Satisfying the University's Customers through Total Quality Management Instruction: A Case Study Personality Characteristics and Group Performance in Total Enterprise Simulations Concepts of Interval Estimation and Quality Control Charts via Computer Simulated Sampling An Examination of the Effect of Team Cohesion, Player Attitude, and Performance Expectations on Simulation Performance Results The Effectiveness of Inventory Management and Production Scheduling Training in a Total Quality Management Environment Peer Group Indicators of the External Validity of Business Games: A five-year Longitudinal Study Political Strategies and Personal Actions Does Practice make Perfect? Observations on Simulation Trial The Use of A Non-Business Computer Simulation to Teach Marketing Management BankPro Commercial Bank Simulation The Production Game Pursuing Excellence: Work Strengths, Assets and relevant Values (An Exercise) Test of a Short Outward Bound Experience for College Students What is it that we want Student To Learn? Using Two TQM Philosophies when Playing Blackjack The Lagged Effects of Decision Variables on Financial Performance Measures Used in Two business Simulations The Development of an Experiential Exercise for Career Planning and Effective Job search Performance Measuring Quality in Management of Business Pedagogy Exploring Quality and Productivity Improvement: Using and Experiential Process Toward a Generalized Architecture for Intelligent Reactive Management Systems The Quality Game TQX: Using Expert Systems to Improve Training in Total Quality Management A Simulation of the Effect of the Medicaid Payment Lag on the Financial Position of Community Pharmacies The Use of a Board of Directors to Evaluate and Validate Decisions in a Competitive Graduate Management Simulation Course The Impact of Academic Dishonesty on Business Simulations and Experiential Learning Activities Picture Project: An Experience of Icebreaking and/or Decision-Making An Effective Role-playing Exercise for Teaching Requisite TQM Supervisory Attitudes/Behavior Computerized Management Simulations and Some Correlates of Students' Satisfaction The Timing and Stability of Reactions to Market Structure in a Single Player Simulation Environment A Graphics Application Extension for a Simulated Decision Support System Environment Aspects of a Group Project Utilizing Actual Business data and a Computerized Accounting System The Role of Universities' Extended Learning Department in Assisting Organizations Implement Total Quality Management A three-dimensional Learning Experience to Develop Total Quality Management Skills Estimating Quality Costs by Computer Simulation Applications and Examples of Quality Control Software Assessing Business Pedagogy A Demonstration of an Experiential Process for Exploring Quality and Productivity Improvement Processes An Action-Ethics Dilemma: A Demonstration Org Sim Jr.: A 2-3 Hour Version of the 2-Day Blanchard/Murrell Organization Simulation Building Buildings: An Experiential Exercise in Organizational Structure, Communication, Leadership and Group Dynamics Expert Systems for Organization Design: A Demonstration A Demonstration of Product Quality in a Business Simulation: Version 2 of CEO Two Revolutions, Total Quality Leadership, and the Baldy: The Story of Milliken Total Quality after the Award - The Xerox Story Building a Competitive Advantage through Customer Satisfaction and Reengineering Human Resource Planning: Managing the Only Renewable Resource for a Competitive Advantage Using Simulations to Teach International Issues: An analysis of the Multinational Management Game's Learning Environment Quality Function Deployment: A Tutorial Care and Nurturing of Teams Making a Good Thing Better: Adding TQM to Participative management Empowering Organizations to Redesign and Transform Themselves - Eastman Chemical Using Simulations in Field Management Development of an International Life Insurance Company Reinforcing the TQ Environment via Simulation Transforming a Business College into a Total Quality College