An expert system for modeling skill levels for corporate power relations in an entropy-based environment using SPIRIT

Collaboration and organizational structures in companies are changing, especially with the ‘New Way of Working’ post-COVID-19. From both a theoretical and practical perspective, a quantitative analysis of how skill levels evolve within the ‘New Way of Working’ provides valuable insights into power structures and potential changes. The expert system Shell-SPIRIT can be used to conduct these quantitative analyses. This system has already been applied to several articles to support faithful knowledge processing and to model power structures while measuring their power potentials. This article discusses the theoretical view and a case study about power structures modeled with an entropy-based approach using Shell-SPIRIT. Compared to previous studies, this article presents a novel approach that enhances realism by incorporating more variables. This means that participants’ skill levels are reflected directly in the quantitative model of quantitative power structures. • Show the interaction of the power modalization and the decision-making process to underline the theoretical and practical relevance. • Present a case study with a step-by-step explanation about the modalization of power structures. • Integrate more variables (Skill levels of meeting participants) into the power modalization in Shell-SPIRIT. • Identify the hierarchy of power in a social network. • Demonstrate social network analysis as a possible next step to use the possibilities of power analyses with Shell-SPIRIT.