SYSTEM REPRESENTATION OF SIMORG Insights into Experiential Pedagogy, Volume 6, 1979 277 SYSTEM REPRESENTATION OF SIMORG Mounir Badawy, Rutgers University Magdi Badawy Ramona Piampiano ABSTRACT This attempt at transforming the SIMulation of an ORGanization experiential game into a computerized - the first such organizational game to be computerized is subdivided into three areas: System Representation, SIMORG GPSS Simulation, and Computer Programming Implementation. This paper will complete the first task - System Representation - and outline the role to be played by the other two subtasks, as well as the interaction between the three phases and the interconnection requirements. The system representation analysis, in light of the eventual computerization, necessitated some minor transformations in the initial SIMORG setup. These are outlined in the paper. Three tracks are provided, thus adjusting for the size of the class, and the allocation of appropriate resources. The paper identifies all the divisional system requirements as well as the supersystem requirements. Requirements are further subdivided into two categories: a) operational and b) analytical. Operational requirements refer to the entry decision nodes; decisions to be made by the various teams concerning for example 1) purchasing of anagrams, 2) submission of solutions 3) requesting withdrawal o± assets, etc. Analytical requirements refer to the system needs relating to both hardware and software components such as 1) files and documents, 2) computational capabilities, 3) updating resources and assets capabilities, etc. A system representation of the overall supersystem is also provided with special emphasis on the decision nodes and divisional linkages. SIMORG DESCRIPTION The SIMulation of an ORGanization is an experiential oriented at providing students with a simulated experience of organizational process. These processes range from task interdependence, routinization of work, employee selection, performance evaluation, resource allocation to investments organizational improvements and introduction of organizational chance. provides k very rich educational environment that will introduce the student to a variety of organizational behavior related topics. SIMORG is the result of the work of Robert files and Alan Randolph (1977). In its present form it is a same that requires manual processing on the part of the coordinator: usually the instructor or the consultant. Based on a multitude of experiments with SIMORG. it can be safely concluded that it is quite exhaustive, simple to conduct and a viable educational tool in its present form. t is felt, however, that if it could be computerized, the teaching turnaround time - the number of sessions required to convey the impact significance of organizational processes – will be greatly reduced, thus increasing its effectiveness over time and further increasing its use within the educational and consul- ting circles. The mechanics of SIMORG require the formation of four teams, which comprise various departmental units. They are subdivided along the following lines: Division I: Human Resource Pool Division II: Comtin (B) Rout in Division III: Emrel Crunode Division IV: Comtin (A) Decode Cope These four teams compose the whole organization, and after each session produce the following items: a. Payroll sheet listing€ the employed individuals and their roles. b. Investment decisions, and c. Solutions of anagrams and puzzles. Based on the composite output of the teams, an evaluation of their activities is made by the coordinator. The evaluation process comprises the allocation of resources on the basis of expenses and revenues (solved anagrams and puzzles), number of additionally assigned individuals, absentees, dismissed individuals and number of temporarily and permanently idle employees, as well as the investment decisions. These activities further affect the assets of Routin, Comptin (A) and Comtin (B). It is proposed here that the bases of financial statement and of a balance sheet are provided within SIMORG. The assets should not, however, differentiate between the various production divisions, but should on the other hand represent the overall organization. The lost competitiveness and decisions in resource allocations between the various production units is thus compensated for by the realization of the organizational entity as a composition of differentiated unit3 • Thus, the cumulative learning experience escapes unhindered. Let us now ignore the macrocosmic aspects of SIMORG and let us turn to some of the necessary elements of the microcosmic functioning. To exhibit the required work in this area, we will focus on the behavioral requirements of Routin. Insights into Experiential Pedagogy, Volume 6, 1979 278 BEHAVIORAL REQUIREMENTS AT THE MICROCOSMIC LEVEL The Routin department is in charge of purchasing anagrams and solving them. activity directly affects the revenues of the corporation and its Further Routine can interact with other branches of the organization and to a certain extent must do so to assure proper functioning of other departments, such as the accounting unit (Crunode). Some of the behavioral requirements of Routing are therefore: 1. Purchasing anagrams 2. Withdrawing assets 3. solving anagrams 4. purchasing communication tickets 5. purchasing base wage tickets 6. communicating with other units 7. submitting decision forms, etc. Let us now focus on the activities of a service oriented unit, Emrel. Emrel's objective is to ‘oversee the task selection, placement and dismissal of SIMORG members and to manage the overall compensation plan’. Other similar objectives could fall under Emrel's realm of activities, but we will simplify the discussion here for purposes of clarity. Emrel's activities are therefore oriented toward decisions that affect the human task force of SIMORG. In their hare form they would require the following subtasks: 1. Communicate with other units. 2. Purchase Base Wage Tickets. 3. Oversee the hiring decision in all units. 4. Make investment decisions relating to Human Resources. 5. Communicate on tine with the coordinator. A system representation of these activities follows: It becomes evident from the above presentation that service organizations have the largest number of interactions with both other units and the coordinator. It is presently primordial to identify all the interaction nodes that would ultimately emerge in the GPSS simulation. These nodes follow a 2 X 2 classificatory scheme. Nodes are identified as either operational or analytical and coordinator or SIMORG member. SYSTEMS SIMULATION NODES Operational nodes are indicative of in-class session activities. These nodes are required at the following levels: A) Interdepartmental B) Between coordinator and Individual SIMORG members c) Between coordinator and departmental entities. Insights into Experiential Pedagogy, Volume 6, 1979 279 The effectiveness of the interaction at the nodes determines the assets of the organization. Analytical nodes are indicative of the interactions between the coordinator and the elemental units, such as Emrel. These interactions occur at the following nodes: A) between coordinator and Emrel B) between coordinator and all the various production units C) between coordinator arid various departmental investors. The quantitative aspect of these interactions determines the periodic operating income statement of the organization. CONCLUSION In the above discussion, the groundwork for the ultimate computerization of SIMORG has been laid. Future activities should be aimed at validating the proposed framework, when developed, and at preparing the specific computer program to be utilized in the application SIMORG. It further proposed that entities vary as a function he organizational level the simulation. In some instances they may represent dollar amounts, others, they may represent individuals. Much therefore, still needs to be accomplished. However it is hoped that the necessary direction has given ward the computerization of a much needed organizational behavior game. Table of Contents Volume 6, 1979 The Use of Cases with Role Plays in a Research Methods Course Debugging and Implementing the Live-Case Approach to Marketing Research in the Australian Environment Using a Case as the Basis for a Modified Debate Using Cases in Business Communication Classes A Structured Approach to Case Analysis and Reporting Intercollegiate Case Analysis Competition as an Experiential Learning Experience Attributes Germane to Student/Live Case Situations Understanding Dispute Resolution Through Experiential learning Personality Development and Conflict Dynamics: An Experimental Design to Study the Effects of Teaching Methodologies on Conflict Resolution Interpersonal Competence and the Digital PDP-11:40 The process of Writing a Collective Bargaining Simulation: A Case Study in Practical Pedagogy Simulating Negotiations in an Educational Context Simulations as a Technique for Teaching Collective Bargaining Experiential Processing of Differing Managerial Perspectives: The Use of a Game Show Format Individual Self Report vs. Group consensus in Small Decision-Making Groups Effects of Sex-Role Stereotypes on Promotion Decisions: An Exercise Computer Aids to Planning: The Budget and Forecasting Module Use of a Microcomputer in a Decision Analysis for Investment Portfolio Selection A Game of Investment Strategy: Description, Use, Criticism and Modification Coping with Future Uncertainties Through Probabilistic Budgeting Administration and Design of Simulation Materials for a Specialized Management Training Program Managing Stress in Organizational Life Banksim: The Bank Management Simulation Issues in the Organizational Application of Simulation and Experiential material Games Within Games: The Role of the Glitch Experiential Learning from Classroom to Business An Evaluation of the Small Business Institute Program as an Experiential learning Exercise Conversations with Top Management (Simulated) Experience in the Use and Assessment of Simulation in Management Education A Statistical Analysis of Simulation Users: Relationships between Stress and Human Subject guidelines Group Decision Making in a Computer Game Analysis of Demographic and Psychosocial Variables Comparing Performance During Three Managerial Accounting Simulation Schedules Business Policy Simulation and the Intense Course Structure The Use of Intensive Simulation in Executive Development and Academic Settings The Use of Experiential Exercises in the Undergraduate Consumer Behavior Course A Personal Marketing Strategy Approach: Framework and Application Teaching PERT Experientially in Marketing Research Discovering the Majority Fallacy An Experiential Approach to Studying International Business A Demonstration of the Business Simulation Game as a Curriculum Assessment Device Relating Teaching Methods with Educational Objectives in the Business Curriculum The Junior Achievement Applied Management Program as a Compromise Situation Between the Simulation and the Internship Who is Using Computerized Business Games?: A View from Publishers' Adoption Lists Trials and Tribulations in Testing Educational Innovations An Examination of the Perceived Effectiveness of Computer Simulation in a Classroom Setting as Affected by Game, Environmental and Respondent Characteristics Game Administration: A Life Cycle Analysis Research on the Effectiveness of Using a Computerized Simulation in the Basic Management Course Gaming and Attitudinal Change The Teacher-Student Relationship in Experiential Classes and the Student's Perception of Course Effectiveness An Exploratory Study of Student Characteristics and Educational Processes in Programmatic Experiential learning General Incongruity Adaption Level (GIAL) as a Predictor of Risk Preferences in a Simulated Management Game The Cap-Stone Opportunity: Combining Business Simulation and Experiential Learning Incorporating MIS/DSS into Policy Courses Via Simulation Who Benefits Most from Participation in Business Policy Simulations: An Empirical Study of Skill Development by Functional Areas The Use of Program NAMEX in Teaching the Accounting for Nonmonetary Assets The Use of Program CVP in Teaching Cost-Volume-Profit Analysis Experiential vs. Traditional Classroom Approach in the Basic Management Course: A Puerto Rican Experience A Guide to the Successful Use of Business Simulation Games The Dynamic Aspects of Interactive Gaming Puts the Realism into Gaming System Representation of SIMORG The Design of a Database System to Support Business Simulation and Experiential Learning A Data Entry and Retrieval System for a Computer Simulation (DERS) Simulation - An Advantage for Accounting Research Computer-Aided Project Performance Control Simulation: An Interactive Experiential Gaming Technique for Managerial Decision Making Utilization of Manual Simulation Games to Develop Scenarios of Future Events - An Exploratory Study Foundry: A Foundry Simulation Customized Debriefing: The Achilles Heel of Experiential learning? Computerized Business Simulations and Experiential Learning Exercises: An Instructional Interface The Baseball Game: A Group Role Observation, Problem Solving Experience A Practical Design for Experiential Learning Exercises: Roles, Technical Equipment and Alternative Debriefing Formats