Learning to connect in action: Measuring and understanding the emergence of boundary spanners in volatile times

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Nespeca, Vittorio, Comes, Tina, Brazier, Frances
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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author Nespeca, Vittorio
Comes, Tina
Brazier, Frances
author_facet Nespeca, Vittorio
Comes, Tina
Brazier, Frances
contents Collective intelligence of diverse groups is key for tackling many of today's grand challenges such as fostering resilience and climate adaptation. Information exchange across such diverse groups is crucial for collective intelligence, especially in volatile environments. To facilitate inter-group information exchange, Informational Boundary Spanners (IBSs) as pivotal information exchange 'hubs' are promising. However, the mechanisms that drive the emergence of IBSs remain poorly understood. To address this gap there is first a need for a method to identify and measure the emergence of IBSs. Second, an Agent-Based Modelling (ABM) framework is not available to systematically study mechanisms for the emergence of IBSs in volatile environments. Third, even though the ability to learn who provides high-quality information is thought to be essential to explain the emergence of IBSs, a rigorous test of this mechanism is missing. The learning mechanism is formalized using an ABM framework, with the model's outputs analyzed using the proposed IBS emergence measurement method. To illustrate both the method and the learning mechanism, we present a case study focused on information sharing in the volatile environment of a disaster. The study shows that learning constitutes a mechanism for the emergence of effective IBSs in (a) low-volatility environments characterised by low uncertainty and (b) in high-volatility environments characterised by rapid change if the number of inter-group connections is sufficient. With the method and model, this paper aims to lay the foundations for exploring mechanisms for the emergence of IBSs that facilitate inter-group information exchange. This article advances collective intelligence by providing the essential elements for measuring and understanding the emergence of IBSs and exploring the effect of learning on their emergence in volatile environments.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2405_11998
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Learning to connect in action: Measuring and understanding the emergence of boundary spanners in volatile times
Nespeca, Vittorio
Comes, Tina
Brazier, Frances
Multiagent Systems
Collective intelligence of diverse groups is key for tackling many of today's grand challenges such as fostering resilience and climate adaptation. Information exchange across such diverse groups is crucial for collective intelligence, especially in volatile environments. To facilitate inter-group information exchange, Informational Boundary Spanners (IBSs) as pivotal information exchange 'hubs' are promising. However, the mechanisms that drive the emergence of IBSs remain poorly understood. To address this gap there is first a need for a method to identify and measure the emergence of IBSs. Second, an Agent-Based Modelling (ABM) framework is not available to systematically study mechanisms for the emergence of IBSs in volatile environments. Third, even though the ability to learn who provides high-quality information is thought to be essential to explain the emergence of IBSs, a rigorous test of this mechanism is missing. The learning mechanism is formalized using an ABM framework, with the model's outputs analyzed using the proposed IBS emergence measurement method. To illustrate both the method and the learning mechanism, we present a case study focused on information sharing in the volatile environment of a disaster. The study shows that learning constitutes a mechanism for the emergence of effective IBSs in (a) low-volatility environments characterised by low uncertainty and (b) in high-volatility environments characterised by rapid change if the number of inter-group connections is sufficient. With the method and model, this paper aims to lay the foundations for exploring mechanisms for the emergence of IBSs that facilitate inter-group information exchange. This article advances collective intelligence by providing the essential elements for measuring and understanding the emergence of IBSs and exploring the effect of learning on their emergence in volatile environments.
title Learning to connect in action: Measuring and understanding the emergence of boundary spanners in volatile times
topic Multiagent Systems
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2405.11998