A computational model of coordination

Abstract

This paper explores and explicates the concept of coordination in small workgroups. The authors develop a computational model within which the key constructs of coordination can be precisely defined. This framework can serve as the basis for additional theoretical developments and as a basis for developing software systems designed to support coordination in workgroups. Coordination is viewed as management of conflicting demands on finite resources by actors or activities. These activities may be informational in nature. The authors conceptualize the underlying primitive concepts that constitute the idea of coordination. This conceptualization views coordination as a cycle of four phases: the definitional phase, the conflict resolution phase, the action phase, and the adaptation phase. The authors then set forth a formal model of coordination, both as a phenomenon and as a process. Within the context of the framework the authors have created, key concepts of decomposability, Pareto-satisfactory, informational privacy, informational decentralization, and informational efficiency are explored.