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Abstract Collaboration enables multiple actors with different objectives to work together and achieve a goal beyond individual capabilities. However, strategic uncertainty from partners' actions introduces a potential for losses under failed collaboration relative to pursuing an independent system. The fundamental tradeoff between high‐value but uncertain outcomes from collaborative systems and lower‐value but more certain outcomes for independent systems induces a bistability strategic dynamic. Actors exhibit different risk attitudes that impact decisions under uncertainty which complicate shared understanding of collaborative dynamics. This paper investigates how risk attitudes affect design and strategy decisions in collaborative systems through the lens of game theory. First, an analytical model studies the effect of differential risk attitudes in a two‐actor problem with stag‐hunting strategic dynamics formulated as single‐ and bi‐level games. Next, a simulation model pairs actors with different risk attitudes in a 29‐game tournament based on a prior behavioral experiment. Results show that outcomes collaborative design problems change based on the risk attitudes of both actors. Results also emphasize that considering conservative lower‐level design options facilitates collaboration by providing risk‐averse actors with a safer solution. By accepting that decision‐making actors are not all risk‐neutral, future work seeks to develop new design methods to strengthen the adoption of efficient collaborative solutions.
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This content will become publicly available on November 9, 2025
Communicating the Intention: A Communication Channel Designed for Exchanging Information About Intentions in Collaborative Systems
In collaborative systems, both technical and social factors influence decisions. While collaborative options may yield desired outcomes, a lack of understanding between parties can hinder collaboration. Effective communication facilitates information exchange and comprehension of partners' intentions, guiding designers toward collaborative decisions. This study examines the impact of a communication channel designed to share actors' collaboration intentions on the accuracy of information exchange and strategic decisions in a collaborative design process. The research uses secondary data from a human experiment involving a collaborative system design problem to assess the intervention's effects. The experimental procedure involves actors completing 30 paired tasks, earning or losing points based on joint decisions with their partners. Participants represent decision-makers from different car manufacturing companies. The experimental data includes 28 junior-year plus STEM undergraduate and graduate students completing paired decision-making collaborative tasks allowed to exchange verbal information and have an additional communication channel to share intentions. The usage of the communication channel is investigated using multiple statistical tests. Results indicate that actors share their intentions accurately and honestly via the communication channel. Even in inaccurate cases, actors’ decisions shift significantly due to their partner's reported strategic intentions. This research underscores the importance of communication for better management of collaborative systems.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2422337
- PAR ID:
- 10613371
- Editor(s):
- Natarajan, Ganapathy; Zhang, Hao; Ng, Ean H
- Publisher / Repository:
- American Society for Engineering Management (ASEM)
- Date Published:
- ISBN:
- 9798985333480
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 837-847
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Location:
- Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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