The Hare and the Tortoise: Network structure in collaborative problem solving

Policy makers often face similar problems, and tackling them is often a social effort, where individuals can share information through network ties about how to solve the problems they face. In particular, it has been amply documented that actors tend to emulate successful others that they observe. We present a simulation demonstrating that more efficient communication can actually lower total performance in the long run. This effect is manifest in complex (e.g. rugged) problem spaces, where extensive searches are expensive for the individual. When actors can communicate easily, average performance improves initially, but harder-to-find optimal solutions are less likely to be discovered. Small-world networks and cliques in communication have important implications for the social outcomes in a collaborative network.