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Stigmergic Collaboration: A Framework for Understanding and Designing Mass Collaboration

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Mass Collaboration and Education

Part of the book series: Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning Series ((CULS,volume 16))

Abstract

This chapter presents a framework for understanding collaboration in any context, at any scale, in order to make conclusions regarding approaches for the design and analysis mass collaboration. This provides a foundation for the introduction of other theories and frameworks that explain how collaboration can scale from small, collocated groups, to large distributed communities like Wikipedia. Key ideas presented include a specific, design-focused definition for collaboration as ‘add, edit, delete rights to a shared pool of content’ and stigmergy (a form of indirect communication common in social insects) as they key means by which collaboration scales online, referred to as ‘stigmergic collaboration’. Stigmergic collaboration also explains how teamwork can emerge, potentially without explicit knowledge of other team members, where productivity is organic and is not managed by any central function. It is my hope that these ideas, along with others presented, will improve the design and analysis of mass collaboration in general, as well as provide new pathways for further research in CSCL and educational contexts.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The theory summarised here was developed and is described more fully in my doctoral thesis, Stigmergic Collaboration: A theoretical framework for mass collaboration (2007). This paper also draws on learning and insight gained from 7 years of industry experience following completion of my PhD. This has involved applying this framework to the design and delivery of mass collaborations focused on the creation of government policy, strategy and urban planning. While all these instances have required considerable strategic community building components, the core logic that stigmergic collaboration underpins scalable collaboration has held true and provided key design insights.

  2. 2.

    Oxford English Dictionary, Second Edition, (1989). (Eds.) J. A. Simpson & E. S. C. Weiner. Oxford: Oxford University Press

  3. 3.

    Adapted from Stigmergic Collaboration: A theoretical framework for mass collaboration (Elliott, 2007)

  4. 4.

    http://www.mgtaylor.com/public/2001/pat_pend.html

  5. 5.

    Garbage dumping as stigmergy is mentioned by Dylan Shell on comment to Joe Gregorio’s (2002) Stigmergy and the World Wide Web. Bitworking (web log): http://bitworking.org/news/Stigmergy, retrieved 20 December 2005

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Collabforge, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Mark Elliott

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  1. Mark Elliott
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Correspondence to Mark Elliott .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Knowledge Media Research Center, Tubingen, Germany

    Ulrike Cress

  2. University of Tuebingen, Tubingen, Germany

    Johannes Moskaliuk

  3. Hallym University, Chuncheon, Kangwon-do, Korea (Republic of)

    Heisawn Jeong

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Elliott, M. (2016). Stigmergic Collaboration: A Framework for Understanding and Designing Mass Collaboration. In: Cress, U., Moskaliuk, J., Jeong, H. (eds) Mass Collaboration and Education. Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning Series, vol 16. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-13536-6_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-13536-6_4

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-13536-6

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