Coordination Patterns
Patterns are what emerge when operators compose under law constraints. Every coordination phenomenon—from ant colonies to corporations to neural networks— expresses combinations of these patterns.
Understanding patterns lets you diagnose why coordination succeeds or fails, and predict where it will break next.
Stable Patterns
Coordination structures that persist—attractor states that systems naturally reach.
Hierarchy
Tree-structured authority with compression at each level
Market
Distributed coupling through price signals at interfaces
Network
Persistent connections with selective permeability
Commons
Shared boundary with collective memory and governance
Dynamic Patterns
Coordination that emerges and evolves—phase transitions between states.
Cascade
Information avalanche through coupled attractors
Oscillation
Cyclic movement between competing stable states
Emergence
Micro-level coupling compressing to macro-level order
Adaptation
Memory-guided interface adjustment to environment
Failure Modes
How coordination breaks down—the universal ways systems can fail.
Deadlock
Mutual blocking at boundary intersections
Livelock
Active agents trapped in unproductive loops
Drift
Gradual compression of institutional memory
Ossification
Attractor lock-in with rigid boundaries
Repair Patterns
How coordination recovers—the mechanisms that restore function.
Redundancy
Multiple paths and backup boundaries
Feedback
Interface signals updating memory for adjustment
Reset
Attractor collapse and recompression to new state
Bridging
New interfaces creating alternative coupling
Patterns in the Wild
Pattern combinations appear everywhere. Recognizing them is the first step to intervention.
Each approval boundary creates a potential blocking point
Price coupling propagates attractor shifts system-wide
Compressed engagement metrics erode community memory
Consensus attractors calcify into policy boundaries
The same pattern can be healthy or pathological depending on context. Hierarchy enables rapid decision-making but creates bottlenecks. Markets enable distributed coordination but amplify cascades. The pattern is neutral—its fitness depends on the environment.
Try It
Use the Pattern Explorer to analyze any coordination phenomenon through this lens.
Open Pattern Explorer