Systems Modeling. Complex systems cannot be studied effectively if they cannot be explicitly described. New systems modeling tools, like SysML, provide the technology to enable formal modeling of complex systems. What is needed are the modeling practices, including modeling libraries, that allow large scale modeling to be fast, correct, and effective.

Organizational Simulation, Games and Visualization. Transformation involves considerable risk due to significant uncertainties and costs. Executives would like to be able to experience the transformed enterprise before making critical transformation decisions - to drive the future before writing the check. TI is developing new technologies to enable this capability, ranging from detailed constructive simulations of organizational behavior and performance, to online games where managers and policy-makers interact with the to-be enterprise to explore its characteristics. Visualization is a key technology to facilitate understanding of complex datasets presented by such simulations and games.

Economic and Financial Modeling. A primary consideration when entertaining changes of complex organizational systems is the economic value of such change. Beyond the costs of changes, those who invest in change want to know what these changes are worth. Hopefully, the worth far exceeds the cost. Research in this area focuses on characterizing and modeling the future cash flows created by current investments in change. This often involves consideration of the multi-stage nature of such investments, as well as the significant uncertainties associated with future returns.

Statistical Modeling and Data Mining. Today’s world is awash in data. But what senior executives really need is useful information. New methods are needed to extract such information from large, complex corporate and government datasets, to support long-term transformation decisions.

Organizational Culture Change. Fundamental change is often quite difficult because one has to manage the “as is” enterprises while also trying to create the “to be” enterprise. Research in this area often involves case studies of how major change evolved in, for example, the retail and automobile industries. Also of significant interest is how new inventions provide the basis for market innovations and how such changes can be anticipated or at least identified.