Management Under Complexity:Gaming/Simulation as a Predecisional Tool
Abstract
MANAGEMENT UNDER COMPLEXITY Gaming/Simulation as a Predecisional Tool RICHARD D. DUKE University of Michigan This article confronts a problem now facing large organiza- tions: how to develop, maintain current, and transmit a viable image concerning any complex issue requiring a policy deci- sion. Six characteristics of this institutional management problem are given, as are seven traditional means of organiza- tional response. Gaming/ simulation is emphasized for its utility in solving this problem. A case study example at the federal level is described. There is mounting evidence that major institutions, public and private, are finding increasing difficulty in developing a comprehensive self-image to guide policy decisions, and even more difficulty in gaining understanding and meaningful support for this view at the lower echelons of the organization. Richard E. Meier forecast this development in the keynote address to the Tenth Annual Meeting of NASAGA (North American Simulation and Games Association) in Los Angeles in 1976. Addressing the question of future developments in gaming/ simulation, he emphasized that accelerating change in AUTHOR'S NOTE: This article is a version of a paper presented at the ISA GA Conference, August 19-23, 1980, Geneva, Switzerland. SIMULATION & GAMES, Vol. 13 No. 3, September 1982