An Experimental Investigation of Network Structure and Performance in Information and Solution Spaces

Problem solving requires two important and complementary forms of search: searching for information (for the facts that may be important pieces of the puzzle) and searching for solutions (for theories that combine puzzle pieces into an answer).

The same network structure can promote or inhibit knowledge diversity, depending on whether that knowledge consists of information, or interpretations of information.

'Good' communication structures may only be good for parts of the process of collective problem solving: structures that are good now may be bad later.

Organizations might be wise to adopt different communications structures for different phases of collective problem solving.

Rather than allow the march of technology to dictate organizational performance, it is possible to imagine how technology could be harnessed to achieve different performance goals.

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