Following a non-reductionist approach to the explanation of higher functionality observed in collective problem solvers, a simple agent-based model is used to “solve” a sequential problem a maze. Larger collectives of the individual agents are observed in the simulations to locate a minimal path, even though the agents are non-interacting, have no global perception of the maze and use rules tha...

Proposals for the reform of labour legislation have been central to the reform agenda of international financial institutions, most particularly the World Bank, and have been pressed particularly on the governments of countries which formerly have had socialist or social democratic forms of labour market regulation. This reform agenda is based on a neo-liberal conception of the labour market, a...

The response to a large-scale disaster, e.g. an earthquake or a terrorist incident, urges for low-cost policies that coordinate sequential decisions of multiple agents. Decisions range from collective (common good) to individual (self-interested) perspectives, intuitively shaping a two-layer decision model. However, current decision theoretic models are either purely collective or purely indivi...

Linking microscopic and macroscopic behavior is at the heart of many natural and social sciences. This apparent similarity conceals essential differences across disciplines: Although physical particles are assumed to optimize the global energy, economic agents maximize their own utility. Here, we solve exactly a Schelling-like segregation model, which interpolates continuously between cooperati...

Social organisms form striking aggregation patterns, displaying cohesion, polarization, and collective intelligence. Determining how they do so in nature is challenging; a plethora of simulation studies displaying life-like swarm behavior lack rigorous comparison with actual data because collecting field data of sufficient quality has been a bottleneck. Here, we bridge this gap by gathering and...

The concerted responses of eusocial insects to environmental stimuli are often referred to as collective cognition at the level of the colony. To achieve collective cognition, a group can draw on two different sources: individual cognition and the connectivity between individuals. Computation in neural networks, for example, is attributed more to sophisticated communication schemes than to the ...

the speed of the development and changes of technology is so fast and astonishing that causes the increase of stress and diminishing societies health. there are some factors involved in the creation of the stress. those factors included as the stresses caused by external factors of the organization internal factors of the organization, collective and individual stresses. the relationship betwee...

the aim of this research was to understand the dynamisms relating to knowledge transfer processes and practices, which exist within a business community in edinburgh scotland. the methodology used within this study was a uniquedesign methodology to include 20 in-depth interviews with participants from four local organizations. the sample group consisted of males aged between 20 and 70. the samp...

introduction: to run a hospital effectively, managers need to have proper decision-making strategies. the managers' decision-making strategies and the staff's job satisfaction are two major factors that allow the manager to achieve the planned objectives. therefore, in this paper, these two factors were studied. methods and materials: it was a descriptive study in which the population of the st...

Intergroup conflicts generally involve conflicts of interests within the competing groups as well. This article outlines a taxonomy of games, called team games, which incorporates the intragroup and intergroup levels of conflict. Its aims are to provide a coherent framework for analyzing the prototypical problems of cooperation and competition that arise within and between groups, and to review...