Visual thinking in organizational analysis

Charles E. Grantham

doi:10.1117/12.44384

1 June 1991 Visual thinking in organizational analysis

Charles E. Grantham

Proceedings Volume 1459, Extracting Meaning from Complex Data: Processing, Display, Interaction II; (1991) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.44384
Event: Electronic Imaging '91, 1991, San Jose, CA, United States

Abstract

The ability to visualize the relationship among elements of large complex databases is a trend which is yielding new insights into several fields. The author demonstrates the use of 'visual thinking' as an analytical tool to the analysis of formal, complex organizations. Recent developments in organizational design and office automation are making the visual analysis of workflows possible. An analytical mental model of organizational functioning can be built upon a depiction of information flows among work group members. The dynamics of organizational functioning can be described in terms of six essential processes. Furthermore, each of these sub-systems develop within a staged cycle referred to as an enneagram model. Together these mental models present a visual metaphor of healthy function in large formal organizations; both in static and dynamic terms. These models can be used to depict the 'state' of an organization at points in time by linking each process to quantitative data taken from the monitoring of the flow of information in computer networks.

Citation Download Citation

Charles E. Grantham "Visual thinking in organizational analysis", Proc. SPIE 1459, Extracting Meaning from Complex Data: Processing, Display, Interaction II, (1 June 1991); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.44384

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