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Group-Level Evolution and Information Systems: What Can We Learn From Animal Colonies in Nature?

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Evolutionary Psychology and Information Systems Research

Part of the book series: Integrated Series in Information Systems ((ISIS,volume 24))

Abstract

In this chapter, we describe 10 central properties and a speciation process for a certain type of real and virtual human collective that is comparable with animal colonies in nature. This theory, called colonial systems and its application to information systems-supported groups called information colonies , is based on those characteristics of mobile animal colonies that may contribute to the survivability of these formations under varied environmental circumstances. We propose that like animal colonies, human equivalents participate in group selection processes and thus have lineages. Like animal colonies, human colonies create offspring, which inherits their evolutionary history and evolutionary mechanism. We call this group-level evolutionary mechanism punctuated prototyping . In this chapter, we discuss human colonies from the following perspectives: phylogeny (evolutionary history); ontogeny (members’ lifetime histories); change; boundaries, complexity, structure, growth, goals, power, and control. We propose that the theory of human colonies provides a novel perspective on human collectives in real and virtual settings.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    We have adapted Baum and Singh (1994a) by illustrating where the colonial systems theory belongs in the hierarchy.

  2. 2.

    For a comprehensive discussion of “humanness,” see Porra (1996, 1999).

  3. 3.

    How we reconcile between gradual and radical change in the colonial systems theory is presented in detail in our previous work (Porra 1996, 1999).

  4. 4.

    In this chapter, we have used examples from these studies to illustrate some points about human colonies.

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Acknowledgment

This chapter is based on an article by the author, published in 1999 in volume 10, issue 1 of the Information Systems Research journal.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Management Information Systems, Department of Decision and Information Sciences, University of Houston, C.T. Bauer College of Business, 280G Melcher Hall, Houston, TX, 77204-6282, USA

    Jaana Porra

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  1. Jaana Porra
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Correspondence to Jaana Porra .

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  1. Dept. of MIS and Decision Science, Texas A & M International University, University Boulevard 5201, Laredo, 78041, USA

    Ned Kock

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Porra, J. (2010). Group-Level Evolution and Information Systems: What Can We Learn From Animal Colonies in Nature?. In: Kock, N. (eds) Evolutionary Psychology and Information Systems Research. Integrated Series in Information Systems, vol 24. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-6139-6_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-6139-6_2

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