Simulating Dissent: Mapping the Life Span of Organizational Dissent using Agent-Based Modeling

Abstract

Organizational dissent is a process that begins long before any disagreement is spoken and continues long after a dissent conversation ends. However, studying the entire dissent process would require extensive data collection across multiple levels of analysis. The present study used agent-based modeling to simulate organizational dissent and demonstrated potential connections between various elements of the dissent process. Goal-directed behaviors and dissent conversations at micro and meso levels shaped macro level dialectics in organizational dissent. Beyond just this particular context, the simulation described here demonstrates how such an approach could be useful in other areas studying communication processes.

Keywords:

• Agent-Based Modeling
• Organizational Dissent
• Process Theory