The hare and the tortoise: the network structure of exploration and exploitation

ABSTRACT

Whether as team members brainstorming, or policy experts sharing best-practices, problem solvers communicate and share ideas. This paper examines the how the structure of these communication networks can affect outcomes. We present simulation results demonstrating that more efficient communication networks can actually lower performance in the long run. This effect is manifest in complex (e.g. rugged) problem spaces, where extensive searches are expensive for the individual. When actors can communicate easily or quickly, average performance improves rapidly improves initially, but harder-to-find optimal solutions are less likely to be discovered.

REFERENCES

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INDEX TERMS

Keywords:
collaboration, networks, small world