Dynamic Free Energy Topography
Organizational change management through the lens of Active Inference. Agents traverse a dynamic Free Energy topography, reacting to prediction errors and epistemic foraging.
Optimized for larger screens
Some simulations are best viewed on larger screens in landscape orientation, but they might work on your phone. I just don't optimise for them.
Overview
This lab models the dynamics of organisational change.
In this simulation:
- The Landscape: Represents the organisational environment. Terrain height corresponds to friction or resistance to change.
- The Agents: Represent team members. They follow the path of least resistance to find local valleys of stability (reduced friction).
- The Change Initiative: Deforms the landscape (steady valleys rise into disruptive peaks), forcing agents to expand their search boundaries.
- Exploration: Agents explore their environment with varying intensity depending on their stress levels, finding new stable states in the altered landscape.
Key Concepts
Adaptation
Agents continually adjust their position to minimise friction. When the landscape is steady, agents group into valleys where resistance is low.
Team Cohesion (Tethers)
Team cohesion is simulated as elastic tethers. Strong tethers hold teams together but can limit individual adaptation if leaders do not pave the way. Under extreme pressure, these tethers can stretch and snap.
Archetypes
Different populations adapt at different speeds:
- Early Adopters: Move fast with low resistance to change.
- Pragmatists: Move methodically, waiting for a clear path before adapting.
- Skeptics: Move slowly and require high continuous pressure to adjust.