Evolutionary Dynamics of Organizations

Evolutionary Dynamics of Organizations PDF

Author: Joel A.C. Baum

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 1994-03-31

Total Pages: 518

ISBN-13: 0195358910

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This book presents the latest research and theory about organizational evolutionary change. It brings together the work of organization theorists who have played key roles in challenging the orthodox adaptation views that prevailed until the beginning of the 1980s. Joel A.C. Baum and Jitendra V. Singh emphasize hierarchy of evolutionary processes at the intraorganizational level, the organizational level, the population level, and the community level. Derived from a conference held at the Stern School of Business at New York University, Evolutionary Dynamics of Organizations is organized in a way that gives order and coherence to what has been a diverse and multidisciplinary field.

Evolutionary Processes and Organizational Adaptation

Evolutionary Processes and Organizational Adaptation PDF

Author: Daniel A. Levinthal

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2021-06-26

Total Pages: 152

ISBN-13: 0192634100

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How do firms adapt? There are two basic starting points from which to answer that question. One is premised on ideas of rational choice and intentionality, while the other is a process of evolutionary dynamics. Both are well-defined and operate as powerful intellectual attractors. Using the ideas of Gregor Mendel as a useful touchstone, this book aims to construct a middle-ground between these two conceptions. The image of the "Mendelian" executive shows how we might effectively balance the ideas of godlike rational design on the one hand and evolutionary dynamics on the other. The perspective developed in this book is anchored on the two key primitives of path-dependence and artificial selection. The intentionality of the Mendelian executive allows for the conscious exploration of opportunities, rather than the happenstance of random variants, yet the constraining forces of path-dependence may lead these moves to adjacent spaces. This perspective also highlights the role of intentionality with respect to the selection and culling of strategic initiatives. The organization operates an “artificial selection” environment, as firms receive profits and losses and, in turn, mediate how these environmental outcomes are projected onto underlying elements and actors within the organization. In this spirit, exploration can be considered not merely as the distance in the underlying behavior from current action, but also as changes in the dimensions of merit by which initiatives are judged. The Mendelian executive is a catalyst and cultivator of promising pathways to unknown futures.

Evolutionary Dynamics

Evolutionary Dynamics PDF

Author: Martin A. Nowak

Publisher: Harvard University Press

Published: 2006-09-29

Total Pages: 390

ISBN-13: 0674417755

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At a time of unprecedented expansion in the life sciences, evolution is the one theory that transcends all of biology. Any observation of a living system must ultimately be interpreted in the context of its evolution. Evolutionary change is the consequence of mutation and natural selection, which are two concepts that can be described by mathematical equations. Evolutionary Dynamics is concerned with these equations of life. In this book, Martin A. Nowak draws on the languages of biology and mathematics to outline the mathematical principles according to which life evolves. His work introduces readers to the powerful yet simple laws that govern the evolution of living systems, no matter how complicated they might seem. Evolution has become a mathematical theory, Nowak suggests, and any idea of an evolutionary process or mechanism should be studied in the context of the mathematical equations of evolutionary dynamics. His book presents a range of analytical tools that can be used to this end: fitness landscapes, mutation matrices, genomic sequence space, random drift, quasispecies, replicators, the Prisoner’s Dilemma, games in finite and infinite populations, evolutionary graph theory, games on grids, evolutionary kaleidoscopes, fractals, and spatial chaos. Nowak then shows how evolutionary dynamics applies to critical real-world problems, including the progression of viral diseases such as AIDS, the virulence of infectious agents, the unpredictable mutations that lead to cancer, the evolution of altruism, and even the evolution of human language. His book makes a clear and compelling case for understanding every living system—and everything that arises as a consequence of living systems—in terms of evolutionary dynamics.

Variations in Organization Science

Variations in Organization Science PDF

Author: Donald Thomas Campbell

Publisher: SAGE

Published: 1999-05-14

Total Pages: 468

ISBN-13: 9780761911265

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If he were an assistant professor today, what work would social science giant Donald T. Campbell be doing in the field of organization science? Joel A. C. Baum and Bill McKelvey explore this question in Variations in Organization Science. This volume reveals and celebrates Campbell's many contributions to the field by presenting new variations that stem directly from his work. Rather than analyzing Campbell's work, chapter authors pursue additional implications and further applications of his perspective to organization science - some of which Campbell himself might have pursued if he were starting out as an assistant professor in 1999.

(R)Evolution

(R)Evolution PDF

Author: Rob Dekkers

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2005-07-06

Total Pages: 562

ISBN-13: 9780387261256

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(R)Evolution studies the adaptation of industrial organisations to the dynamics of the environment by drawing an analogy with evolutionary biology, by extensively studying literature in management science, and by case studies. These investigations have lead to the insight that companies might evolve slower than generally expected; they doubt the effect of reorganizations, as commonly practiced in industry. Additionally, this work proposes the model for the Innovation Impact Point, the model for the Dynamic Adaptation Capability, the model for Collaboration.

Evolutionary Processes and Organizational Adaptation

Evolutionary Processes and Organizational Adaptation PDF

Author: Daniel A. Levinthal

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2021

Total Pages: 158

ISBN-13: 0199684944

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How do firms adapt? Is it through rational choice and intentionality, or rather a process of evolutionary dynamics? Using the ideas of Gregor Mendel as a touchstone, this book aims to construct a middle-ground between these two conceptions and provide a new framework for understanding the adaptive dynamics of organizations.

The Evolution and Maturation of Teams in Organizations: Theories, Methodologies, Discoveries & Interventions, 2nd Edition

The Evolution and Maturation of Teams in Organizations: Theories, Methodologies, Discoveries & Interventions, 2nd Edition PDF

Author: Eduardo Salas

Publisher: Frontiers Media SA

Published: 2020-12-08

Total Pages: 292

ISBN-13: 2889662373

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Publisher’s note: In this 2nd edition, the following article has been added: Shuffler ML, Salas E and Rosen MA (2020) The Evolution and Maturation of Teams in Organizations: Convergent Trends in the New Dynamic Science of Teams. Front. Psychol. 11:2128. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.02128

The Blackwell Companion to Organizations

The Blackwell Companion to Organizations PDF

Author: Joel Baum

Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Published: 2005-06-24

Total Pages: 992

ISBN-13: 9780631216957

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Drawing on the research of more than 50 influential international scholars, this extensive interdisciplinary survey consolidates and evaluates what is known and not known about organizations, and critically examines how we learn about and study them. Contributors include 50 influential international scholars. Contributions represent the most important contemporary perspectives on organizations, including networks, ecology and technology. Each topic is covered at three levels of organization: intraorganizational, organizational, and interorganizational. Chapters structured around five common elements for ease of use.