Evaluating the Impact of Architectural Models on Virtual Organizations Knowledge-Exchange Dynamics

When designing online social networks and collaborative environments, Internet architects need to analyze how relational structures generated by interacting actors are influenced by adopted system-level architectural components. Effective analysis of such socio-technical interrelations is best achieved through a modeling framework and proper simulation tools. We present a virtual organization reference model (VORM) supporting modeling and simulation of VO exchange dynamics. The VORM is based on three components: a descriptive framework easing social-exchanges formalization and description, a behavioral framework giving directions for behavioral modeling of social exchanges and an architectural framework focused on modeling of user-perceivable architectural components. A simulation for a VO engaged in knowledge exchanges has then been developed to exemplify the application of the VORM and to evaluate the impact of reputation, recommendation and identity management systems on the simulated social network.