Behavior
Stigmergy
Coordination through environmental modification rather than direct communication. Individuals leave traces that influence subsequent behavior by others.
Biological Context
Termites build complex mounds through stigmergy: each worker responds to what previous workers built, not to a blueprint. Ant pheromone trails are stigmergic—the trail itself coordinates followers. Wikipedia editing is human stigmergy—each edit influences subsequent editors.
Business Application
Digital stigmergy: commit histories in code, edit trails in documents, usage patterns in products. Understanding stigmergic coordination helps design systems that improve through use.