organization

IRI: https://spec.industrialontologies.org/ontology/construct/Organization

Defined In: https://spec.industrialontologies.org/ontology/core/Core/

SubClass Of: organized group of agents

Class Hierarchy

owl:Thing › bfo:entity › bfo:continuant › bfo:independent continuant › bfo:material entity › bfo:object aggregate › group of agents › organized group of agents › organization

Direct subclasses:

Definition

group of persons that identifies itself by some name and pursues a common set of plans and objectives

Semi-Formal Definition:

every instance of ‘organization’ is defined exactly as an instance of ‘organized group of agents’ that is ‘designated by’ some ‘organization identifier’ and that ‘has member part at all times’ one or more ‘person’

Explanatory Notes

  1. An organization may have a set of organizational rules that, among other things, prescribe a set of roles and responsibilities its members bear, how important decisions are made, and how members should behave when acting on behalf of the organization.
  2. As introduced here, the mere gathering of a group of persons does not imply the existence of an organization, unless and until such members agree to form an organization and have agreed to a common set of objectives as mentioned in point 1.

Usage Notes

Members of organizations are people or other organizations. However, an organization may be composed of several sub-organizations (e.g., departments). This composition should be modeled through ‘proper continuant part’ relations.

Examples

  • goverment, a company, a political party, a city goverment, yakuza, department, division

Adapted From

  • https://spec.edmcouncil.org/fibo/ontology/FND/Organizations/Organizations/Organization

Formal Axioms

First-Order Logic Definition 

Organization(x) ↔ OrganizedGroupOfAgents(x) ∧ ∃p∃i(Person(p) ∧OrganizationIdentifier(i) ∧ designatedBy(x,i) ∧ hasMemberPartAtAllTimes(x,p))

First-Order Logic Axioms 

Organization(x) → ∀y(hasMemberPartAtSomeTime(x,y) → (Person(y) ∨ Organization(y))) ∧ ∀z(hasProperContinuantPartAtSomeTime(x,z) → Organization(z))

Semi-Formal Natural Language Axioms

if x is an ‘organization’ then whenever x ‘has member part at some time’ y that y must be a ‘peson’ or ‘organization’ and whenever x ‘has proper continuant part at some time’ z that z must be a ‘organization’

Description Logic

constr:Organization ≡ constr:OrganizedGroupOfAgents ⊓ ∃ bfo:has_member_part_at_all_times .constr:Person ⊓ ∃ constr:designatedBy .constr:OrganizationIdentifier

constr:Organization ⊑ constr:OrganizedGroupOfAgents

constr:Organization ⊑ ∀ bfo:has_proper_continuant_part_at_some_time .constr:Organization

constr:Organization ⊑ ∀ bfo:has_member_part .(constr:Organization ⊔ constr:Person)

constr:Organization ⊓ constr:EngineeredSystem ⊑ ⊥

constr:Organization ⊓ constr:MaterialArtifact ⊑ ⊥

EquivalentTo: constr:OrganizedGroupOfAgents and bfo:has_member_part_at_all_times some constr:Person and constr:designatedBy some constr:OrganizationIdentifier

SubClassOf: constr:OrganizedGroupOfAgents

SubClassOf: bfo:has_proper_continuant_part_at_some_time only constr:Organization

SubClassOf: bfo:has_member_part only (constr:Organization or constr:Person)

constr:Organization DisjointWith: (constr:EngineeredSystem, constr:MaterialArtifact)