An apparatus (10) used in a Self-Organizing Network (SON) includes a SON execution unit (101) and an exclusion processing unit (105). The SON execution unit (101) executes a SON operation on a first cell (40), a second cell (41) or a neighboring cell pair (40 and 41), the SON operation including repeatedly adjusting a configuration parameter that affects an operation of a base station (20) or a mobile station (30) to achieve an optimization objective. The exclusion processing unit (105) excludes the first cell (40), the second cell (41) or the neighboring cell pair (40 and 41) from a future SON operation by the SON execution unit (101), if achievement status of the optimization objective after completion of the SON operation by the SON execution unit (101) does not satisfy a predetermined reference level. This can contribute to suppression of execution of SON operation providing only little performance improvement.