The main challenges for manufacturing companies in implementing and utilizing configurators

Bio-Inspired Intelligent Systems: Negotiations between Minimum Manifest Task Entropy and Maximum Latent System Entropy in Changing Environments

In theoretical physics and theoretical neuroscience, increased intelligence is associated with increased entropy, which entails potential access to an increased number of states that could facilitate adaptive behavior. Potential to access a larger number of states is a latent entropy as it refers to the number of states that could possibly be accessed, and it is also recognized that functioning needs to be efficient through minimization of manifest entropy. For example, in theoretical physics, the importance of efficiency is recognized through the observation that nature is thrifty in all its actions and through the principle of least action. In this paper, system intelligence is explained as capability to maintain internal stability while adapting to changing environments by minimizing manifest task entropy while maximizing latent system entropy. In addition, it is explained how automated negotiation relates to balancing adaptability and stability; and a mathematical negotiation model is presented that enables balancing of latent system entropy and manifest task entropy in intelligent systems. Furthermore, this first principles analysis of system intelligence is related to everyday challenges in production systems through multiple simulations of the negotiation model. The results indicate that manifest task entropy is minimized when maximization of latent system entropy is used as the criterion for task allocation in the simulated production scenarios.

Organizational Neuroscience of Industrial Adaptive Behavior

Organizational neuroscience is recognized in organizational behavior literature as offering an interpretive framework that can shed new light on existing organizational challenges. In this paper, findings from neuroscience studies concerned with adaptive behavior for ecological fitness are applied to explore industrial adaptive behavior. This is important because many companies are not able to manage dynamics between adaptability and stability. The reported analysis relates business-to-business signaling in competitive environments to three levels of inference. In accordance with neuroscience studies concerned with adaptive behavior, trade-offs between complexity and accuracy in business-to-business signaling and inference are explained. In addition, signaling and inference are related to risks and ambiguities in competitive industrial markets. Overall, the paper provides a comprehensive analysis of industrial adaptive behavior in terms of relevant neuroscience constructs. In doing so, the paper makes a contribution to the field of organizational neuroscience, and to research concerned with industrial adaptive behavior. The reported analysis is relevant to organizational adaptive behavior that involves combining human intelligence and artificial intelligence.