A Preliminary Analysis of Interdependence in Multiagent Systems

Abstract

Designers of human-agent systems use the term “interdependence,” drawing on the work of organisational theorists and sociologists that is set in a human context. In this paper, we extend the agent systems analysis by semi-formally defining several types of task and agent interdependence that are introduced in the organisation theory literature. We illustrate how knowledge of different types of interdependence can assist designers in choosing appropriate coordination mechanisms between agents.