THE THEORETICAL CONTRIBUTION OF COMPUTER SIMULATION.

Abstract

Academy of Management Annual Meeting Proceedings includes abstracts of all papers and symposia presented at the annual conference, plus 6-page abridged versions of the “Best Papers” accepted for inclusion in the program (approximately 10%). Papers published in the Proceedings are abridged because presenting papers at their full length could preclude subsequent journal publication. Please contact the author(s) directly for the full papers. ArticlesTHE THEORETICAL CONTRIBUTION OF COMPUTER SIMULATION.Ryan W. QuinnRyan W. QuinnPublished Online:13 Dec 2017https://doi.org/10.5465/apbpp.2000.5535980AboutSectionsPDF/EPUB ToolsDownload CitationsAdd to favoritesTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail AbstractThis paper addresses the question: "What can computer simulation contribute to the growth and development of organization theory?" I begin by explaining what computer simulation is, what it does, and how it has been categorized in the past, and then introduce three ways that computer simulation can contribute to organizational theory. I provide examples of each of the ways using exemplary research from top journals, and compare these papers to other methods for making the same type of theoretical contribution. These comparisons highlight the advantages simulation has to offer, its limitations, and when it is and is not appropriate to use computer simulation. I also discuss the internal and external validity of computer simulation. I close by offering recommendations to simulation researchers, which can also help reviewers assess the contribution a simulation study makes.FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Vol. 2000, No. 1 Permissions Metrics in the past 12 months History Published online 13 December 2017 Published in print 1 August 2000 InformationCopyright of Academy of Management Journal is the property of Academy of Management and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder’s express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.KeywordsCOMPUTER simulationORGANIZATIONAL researchSIMULATION methodsCOMPUTER assisted researchKNOWLEDGE managementORGANIZATIONAL growthINPUT-output analysis -- Computer programsCASE methodPROBLEM-based learningINTERORGANIZATIONAL relations -- ManagementDownload PDF