CASOS:

CASOS Publication
	"A Theory of Group Stability" (PDF file) Author: Kathleen Carley Abstract Some groups endure longer, are more stable, and are better able than other groups to incorporate new members or ideas without losing their distinctiveness. I present a simple model of individual behavior based on the thesis that interaction leads to shared knowledge and of individual behavior based on the thesis that interaction leads to shared knowledge and that relative shared knowledge leads to interaction. Using this model I examine the structural and cultural bases of group stability. Groups that are stable in the short run do not necessarily retain their distinctiveness in the long run as new members enter or new ideas are discovered.