Expectations and Coordination in Small Groups
ISBN: 978-1-78769-014-1, eISBN: 978-1-78769-013-4
Publication date: 8 October 2018
Abstract
Purpose
Expectations ostensibly lead to the formation of hierarchies, and hierarchies are thought to improve coordination. A simulation model is introduced to determine whether expectations directly improve coordination.
Methodology/approach
Agent-based simulations of small group behavior are used to determine what rules for expectation formation best coordinate groups. Within groups of agents that have differing but unknown task abilities, pairs take turns playing a coordination game with one another. The group receives a positive payoff when one agent chooses to take a high-importance role (leader) and the other chooses a low-importance role (follower), where the payoff is proportional to the ability of the “leader.” When both individuals vie to be leader, a costly conflict gives the group information about which agent has a higher task-ability.
Findings
The rules governing individuals’ formation of expectations about one another often lead to coordination that is suboptimal: They do not capitalize on the differential abilities of group members. The rules do, however, minimize costly conflicts between individuals. Therefore, standard rules of expectation formation are only optimal when conflicts are costly or provide poor information.
Implications
Rules that govern the formation of expectations may have served an evolutionary purpose in guiding individuals towards coordination while minimizing conflict, but these psychologically hardwired rules lead to suboptimal hierarchies.
Originality
This paper looks at how well empirically observed expectation-generating rules lead to group coordination by adding a game theoretic conception of interaction to the e-state structuralism model of hierarchy formation.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Acknowledgments
Earlier versions of this work were presented at the 2016 Graduate Workshop in Complexity and Computational Social Science at the Santa Fe Institute, the 2017 Cornell Sociology Research Symposium in Ithaca, NY, the 12th Conference of the Interdisciplinary Network for Group Research in St. Louis, MO, and the 2017 Group Processes Conference in Montreal, QC. Thanks to George Berry, Junius Brown, Ed Lawler, and John Miller for their thoughtful comments and suggestions.
Citation
Sirianni, A.D. (2018), "Expectations and Coordination in Small Groups", Advances in Group Processes (Advances in Group Processes, Vol. 35), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 181-207. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0882-614520180000035008
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2018 Emerald Publishing Limited