Emergence of Leadership in Communication

PLoS One. 2016 Aug 17;11(8):e0159301. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0159301. eCollection 2016.

Abstract

We study a neuro-inspired model that mimics a discussion (or information dissemination) process in a network of agents. During their interaction, agents redistribute activity and network weights, resulting in emergence of leader(s). The model is able to reproduce the basic scenarios of leadership known in nature and society: laissez-faire (irregular activity, weak leadership, sizable inter-follower interaction, autonomous sub-leaders); participative or democratic (strong leadership, but with feedback from followers); and autocratic (no feedback, one-way influence). Several pertinent aspects of these scenarios are found as well-e.g., hidden leadership (a hidden clique of agents driving the official autocratic leader), and successive leadership (two leaders influence followers by turns). We study how these scenarios emerge from inter-agent dynamics and how they depend on behavior rules of agents-in particular, on their inertia against state changes.

MeSH terms

  • Algorithms*
  • Communication*
  • Humans
  • Interpersonal Relations*
  • Leadership*
  • Models, Theoretical*

Grants and funding

This research was funded by Yerevan Physics Institute (Armenia) to AEA and DARPA grant No. W911NF-12-1-0034 to AG. AEA was also partially funded by the above DARPA grant.