Ant colonies: building complex organizations with minuscule brains and no leaders

Mark W. Moffett (), Simon Garnier (), Kathleen M. Eisenhardt (), Nathan R. Furr (), Massimo Warglien (), Costanza Sartoris (), William Ocasio (), Thorbjørn Knudsen (), Lars A. Bach () and Joachim Offenberg ()
Additional contact information
Mark W. Moffett: National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution
Simon Garnier: New Jersey Institute of Technology
Kathleen M. Eisenhardt: Stanford University
Nathan R. Furr: INSEAD
Massimo Warglien: Ca’ Foscari University of Venice
Costanza Sartoris: Ca’ Foscari University of Venice
William Ocasio: University of Illinois
Thorbjørn Knudsen: University of Southern Denmark
Lars A. Bach: Aarhus University
Joachim Offenberg: Aarhus University

Journal of Organization Design, 2021, vol. 10, issue 1, 55-74

Abstract: Abstract Thus far the articles in the series JOD calls the “Organization Zoo” have employed the notion of a “zoo” metaphorically to describe an array of human institutions. Here we take the term literally to consider the design of the most complex organizations in the living world beside those of humans, a favorite of insect zoos around the world: ant colonies. We consider individuality and group identity in the functioning of ant organizations; advantages of a flat organization without hierarchies or leaders; self-organization; direct and indirect communication; job specialization; labor coordination; and the role of errors in innovation. The likely value and limitations of comparing ant and human organizations are briefly examined.

Keywords: Ants; Colonies; Individuality; Group identity; Self-organization; Hierarchies; Leaders; Division of labor; Coordination; Stigmergy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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DOI: 10.1007/s41469-021-00093-4

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