Defending against Turbulent Conditions: Results from an Agent-based Simulation

We use an agent-based computer simulation to examine the impact of organisational strategy on enterprise performance within a turbulent operating environment. The simulation is designed to model consumers and four types of small- and medium-sized enterprises that behave with different strategies (Defender, Analyser, Prospector and Static). These agent-based organisations operate with different behavioural characteristics when making strategic decisions about the number of products to stock and which products to offer for sale. We present the results of experiments conducted using a series of simulations. Outcomes from these simulations indicate that organisations that employ Defender strategies perform best in a turbulent operating environment.