Robustness and vulnerability in organizational process networks: a systemic approach for strategic management
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29059/cienciauat.v20i2.2047Keywords:
complex networks, robustness, vulnerability, organizational processes, strategic managementAbstract
The methodology for analyzing Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS) is a useful tool for studying work collaboration networks through their structural representation. This approach makes it possible to identify patterns of interaction, dependency, and information flow among the components of these networks. The objective of this study was to identify the conditions of robustness and vulnerability in an organizational process network within an administrative department (DPE) of a public educational institution. A modeling methodology based on criteria of connectivity, centrality, and information-flow efficiency was used. The operational procedures of the different actors were analyzed; the organizational network was constructed by defining its nodes; and the levels of connectivity and stress centrality were evaluated for each node. To measure the level of robustness, node-removal simulations were performed on the nodes with the highest connectivity. The elimination of nodes with high connectivity and stress centrality—such as those corresponding to the Department Administrative Assistant, the Faculty Secretary, and the Technical Assistant, who are responsible for articulating a large part of the DPE’s operational processes—produced the greatest fragmentation of the network. This contrasted with the removal of the Head of the Department, which produced a considerably lower level of fragmentation. The analysis of the functional structure revealed that the robustness of the network is determined by the way in which processes are structured and interconnected, rather than by the formal hierarchy of job positions. The representation of organizational positions as nodes made it possible to identify critical bottlenecks, functional dependencies, and positions whose interruption would compromise operational continuity. The development of the operational diagram and its analysis through the CAS approach made it possible to reveal the system’s strengths and vulnerabilities, providing key information to strengthen organizational robustness, operational continuity, and adaptive capacity from a systemic strategic management perspective.
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Accepted 2026-08-13
Published 2026-08-28
