Influence strategies for systems of systems

Distributed decision making has been identified as a source of managerial complexity for leaders of systems of systems (SoS). A new framework, AIR (Anticipation-Influence-Reaction), is proposed to capture the feedback relationships between the decisions made by constituents and those made by the managers of the SoS. AIR is then used to develop a five-member set of basic influences that can bring about changes in constituent behavior thus modifying the SoS. These influences, the 5 Is, are Incentives, Information, Infrastructure, Integration, and Institutions. AIR and the influences are demonstrated through qualitative application to real-world SoSs and quantitatively through simulation of an inter-modal freight transport network. It is found that cooperation between competing constituents, i.e., rail and truck carriers, can be quite fragile and sensitive to the SoS context. Careful, dynamic planning of influence strategies is needed to maintain SoS behavior in the face of constituents who are driven by self-interest and a limited, local perspective of the SoS.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2013

Author dc:creator

• Shah, Nirav Bharat, 1979-

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Joseph M. Sussman and Daniel E. Hastings.

• Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/79341

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/79341