A Complex Systems Perspective on Collaborative Design

Posted: 12 Jul 2006 Last revised: 27 Mar 2013

See all articles by Mark Klein

Mark Klein

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Hiroki Sayama

New England Complex Systems Institute

Peyman Faratin

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Sloan School of Management

Yaneer Bar-Yam

New England Complex Systems Institute

Date Written: June 1, 2002

Abstract

Almost all complex artifacts nowadays, including physical artifacts such as airplanes, as well as informational artifacts such as software, organizational designs, plans and schedules, are created via the interaction of many, sometimes thousands of participants, working on different elements of the design. This collaborative design process is typically expensive and time-consuming because strong interdependencies between design decisions make it difficult to converge on a single design that satisfies these dependencies and is acceptable to all participants. Complex systems research concerning the generic dynamics of distributed networks has much to offer to the understanding of this process. This paper describes some insights derived from this novel perspective.

Keywords: Collaborative Design, Organizational Designs, Complex Systems

Suggested Citation

Klein, Mark and Sayama, Hiroki and Faratin, Peyman and Bar-Yam, Yaneer, A Complex Systems Perspective on Collaborative Design (June 1, 2002). MIT Sloan Working Paper No. 4368-02, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=318080 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.318080

Mark Klein (Contact Author)

Massachusetts Institute of Technology ( email )

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617-253-6796 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://cci.mit.edu/klein/

Hiroki Sayama

New England Complex Systems Institute ( email )

24 Mt. Auburn St.
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

Peyman Faratin

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Sloan School of Management ( email )

100 Main Street
E62-416
Cambridge, MA 02142
United States

Yaneer Bar-Yam

New England Complex Systems Institute ( email )

24 Mt. Auburn St.
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

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