Simulation Model to Estimate Emotions in Collaborative Networks

Abstract

In recent years, the research on collaborative networks has been pointing to the need to put more emphasis on the social interactions of its participants, along with technical features, as a potential direction to finding solutions to prevent failures and potential conflicts. In this context, a modelling framework called Collaborative EMOtion modelling framework (C-EMO), conceived for appraising the collaborative network emotions that might be present in a collaborative networked environment, is presented, and an implementation approach, based on system dynamics and agent-based simulation modelling techniques, for estimating both the collaborative network emotional state and each member’s emotions, is described. The work is divided in two parts: the first considers the design of the models and the second comprises the transformation of these conceptual models into a computer model, providing the proposed simulation model. In order to validate the simulation model, and taking into consideration the novelty of the research area, experiments are undertaken in different scenarios representing several aspects of a collaborative environment and a sensitivity analysis and discussion of the results is performed.