How much is the whole really more than the sum of its parts? 1 ⊞ 1 = 2.5: superlinear productivity in collective group actions.

ABSTRACT: In a variety of open source software projects, we document a superlinear growth of production intensity (R ~ c(β)) as a function of the number of active developers c, with a median value of the exponent β ≃ 4/3, with large dispersions of β from slightly less than 1 up to 3. For a typical project in this class, doubling of the group size multiplies typically the output by a factor 2(β) = 2.5, explaining the title. This superlinear law is found to hold for group sizes ranging from 5 to a few hundred developers. We propose two classes of mechanisms, interaction-based and large deviation, along with a cascade model of productive activity, which unifies them. In this common framework, superlinear productivity requires that the involved social groups function at or close to criticality, or in a

SUBMITTER: Sornette D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4118854 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature