Belief Dynamics in Complex Social Networks

People are becoming increasingly more connected to each other in social media networks. These networks are complex because in general there can be many di fferent types of relations, as well as di fferent degrees of strength for each one; moreover, these relations are dynamic because they can change over time. In this context, users' knowledge flows over the network, and modeling how this occurs - or can possibly occur - is therefore of great interest from a knowledge representation and reasoning perspective. In this paper, we focus on the problem of how a single user's knowledge base changes when exposed to a stream of news items coming from other members in the network. As a first step towards solving this problem, we identify possible solutions leveraging preexisting belief merging operators, and conclude that there is a gap that needs to be bridged between the application of such operators and a principled solution to the proposed problem.Sociedad Argentina de Informática e Investigación Operativa (SADIO

Belief Dynamics in Complex Social Networks

People are becoming increasingly more connected to each other in social media networks. These networks are complex because in general there can be many di fferent types of relations, as well as di fferent degrees of strength for each one; moreover, these relations are dynamic because they can change over time. In this context, users' knowledge flows over the network, and modeling how this occurs - or can possibly occur - is therefore of great interest from a knowledge representation and reasoning perspective. In this paper, we focus on the problem of how a single user's knowledge base changes when exposed to a stream of news items coming from other members in the network. As a first step towards solving this problem, we identify possible solutions leveraging preexisting belief merging operators, and conclude that there is a gap that needs to be bridged between the application of such operators and a principled solution to the proposed problem.Sociedad Argentina de Informática e Investigación Operativa (SADIO

A framework for merging inconsistent beliefs in security protocol analysis

This paper proposes a framework for merging inconsistent beliefs in the analysis of security protocols. The merge application is a procedure of computing the inferred beliefs of message sources and resolving the conflicts among the sources. Some security properties of secure messages are used to ensure the correctness of authentication of messages. Several instances are presented, and demonstrate our method is useful in resolving inconsistent beliefs in secure messages. <br /

Bases of Power and Conflict Intervention Strategy: A Study on Turkish Managers

Purpose – This study developed an influence perspective for managerial intervention in subordinates conflicts, which helped to represent various strategies identified in the literature in a single model. Managers’ power base was then related to their intervention strategies. Drawing upon Social Judgment Theory, anchoring of subordinates positions was studied as a moderating variable. Methodology – Thirty nine supervisors and their 165 subordinates from several organizations in Turkey filled out a questionnaire reporting power base of supervisor and their intervention strategy utilizing the Critical Incident Technique. Findings – Referent power of superior led to mediation in subordinates’ conflicts. However, mediation decreased while restructuring, arbitration, and educative strategies increased with increased anchoring of subordinates’ positions. These latter strategies mostly relied on reward power of manager. Subordinate satisfaction was highest with mediation and lowest when supervisors distanced themselves from the conflict. Limitations/Implications – The present study could only test the moderating effect of escalation as an anchoring variable. Future studies may look at the anchoring effect of whether the dispute is handled in public or in private, and whether the parties have a competing versus collaborative or compromising styles. Practical implications – Training of managers in mediation may be essential in cultures where they play a focal role in handling subordinates conflicts. Such training may have to take into account their broader influence strategies and use of power. Originality/Value – An influence perspective is useful in integrating the vast array of managerial intervention strategies in the literature. Furthermore, the anchoring effect provides a theoretical explanation for managers’ use of more forceful intervention with less cooperative subordinates

Bases of Power and Conflict Intervention Strategy: A Study on Turkish Managers

Purpose – This study developed an influence perspective for managerial intervention in subordinates conflicts, which helped to represent various strategies identified in the literature in a single model. Managers’ power base was then related to their intervention strategies. Drawing upon Social Judgment Theory, anchoring of subordinates positions was studied as a moderating variable. Methodology – Thirty nine supervisors and their 165 subordinates from several organizations in Turkey filled out a questionnaire reporting power base of supervisor and their intervention strategy utilizing the Critical Incident Technique. Findings – Referent power of superior led to mediation in subordinates’ conflicts. However, mediation decreased while restructuring, arbitration, and educative strategies increased with increased anchoring of subordinates’ positions. These latter strategies mostly relied on reward power of manager. Subordinate satisfaction was highest with mediation and lowest when supervisors distanced themselves from the conflict. Limitations/Implications – The present study could only test the moderating effect of escalation as an anchoring variable. Future studies may look at the anchoring effect of whether the dispute is handled in public or in private, and whether the parties have a competing versus collaborative or compromising styles. Practical implications – Training of managers in mediation may be essential in cultures where they play a focal role in handling subordinates conflicts. Such training may have to take into account their broader influence strategies and use of power. Originality/Value – An influence perspective is useful in integrating the vast array of managerial intervention strategies in the literature. Furthermore, the anchoring effect provides a theoretical explanation for managers’ use of more forceful intervention with less cooperative subordinates