Resilience and Controllability of Dynamic Collective Behaviors

The network paradigm is used to gain insight into the structural root causes of the resilience of consensus in dynamic collective behaviors, and to analyze the controllability of the swarm dynamics. Here we devise the dynamic signaling network which is the information transfer channel underpinning the swarm dynamics of the directed interagent connectivity based on a topological neighborhood of interactions. The study of the connectedness of the swarm signaling network reveals the profound relationship between group size and number of interacting neighbors, which is found to be in good agreement with field observations on flock of starlings [Ballerini et al. (2008) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 105: 1232]. Using a dynamical model, we generate dynamic collective behaviors enabling us to uncover that the swarm signaling network is a homogeneous clustered small-world network, thus facilitating emergent outcomes if connectedness is maintained. Resilience of the emergent consensus is tested by introducing exogenous environmental noise, which ultimately stresses how deeply intertwined are the swarm dynamics in the physical and network spaces. The availability of the signaling network allows us to analytically establish for the first time the number of driver agents necessary to fully control the swarm dynamics

COMPLEXITY * SIMPLICITY * SIMPLEXITY

“In the midst of order, there is chaos; but in the midst of chaos, there is order”, John Gribbin wrote in his book Deep Simplicity (p.76). In this dialectical spirit, we discuss the generative tension between complexity and simplicity in the theory and practice of management and organization. Complexity theory suggests that the relationship between complex environments and complex organizations advanced by the well-known Ashby’s law, may be reconsidered: only simple organization provides enough space for individual agency to match environmental turbulence in the form of complex organizational responses. We suggest that complex organizing may be paradoxically facilitated by a simple infrastructure, and that the theory of organizations may be viewed as resulting from the interplay between simplicity and complexity. JEL codes:

The Climate Imperative and Innovative Behavior: Encouraging Greater Advances in the Production of Energy-Efficient Technologies and Services

This white paper examines why a larger array of innovative institutions, behaviors, technologies, and servicesis needed – specifically in the context of what we call “the climate imperative.” We explore possible mechanisms that can encourage the more robust development of innovative programs and policies within the State of California, with special attention to the activities of the California Public Utilities Commission

Model of human collective decision-making in complex environments

A continuous-time Markov process is proposed to analyze how a group of humans solves a complex task, consisting in the search of the optimal set of decisions on a fitness landscape. Individuals change their opinions driven by two different forces: (i) the self-interest, which pushes them to increase their own fitness values, and (ii) the social interactions, which push individuals to reduce the diversity of their opinions in order to reach consensus. Results show that the performance of the group is strongly affected by the strength of social interactions and by the level of knowledge of the individuals. Increasing the strength of social interactions improves the performance of the team. However, too strong social interactions slow down the search of the optimal solution and worsen the performance of the group. In particular, we find that the threshold value of the social interaction strength, which leads to the emergence of a superior intelligence of the group, is just the critical threshold at which the consensus among the members sets in. We also prove that a moderate level of knowledge is already enough to guarantee high performance of the group in making decisions.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figues in European Physical Journal B, 201

Measuring the collective intelligence education index

War games and sports games always seek glory and excellence in an environment where participants enjoy what they do. Success is guaranteed in the degree of effective collaboration and coordination within the team members, as well as the strategy used by teams, such games or war strategies are generated since the birth of humanity. In this sense, the following questions emerge in the field of education: Is it possible to design learning activities that use this principle applied to collaborative work in the classroom? Which are the conditions of application of team competition strategy using ICT tools and how to measure it? This research explores the application of a web tool called Choose the Best (CTB). CTB implements a strategy that fosters competitiveness among the teams of a class, as well as the coordination and collaboration within the same, these types of strategies contribute to the development of Collective Intelligence levels. It's measured through a group of implemented metrics. Based on the results, we consider that the use of new forms of teaching and learning based on the emerging paradigms is necessary. Therefore, CTB is a tool that could become an effective way to measuring the group's performance according to Collective Intelligence paradigms.Postprint (author's final draft