cohesiveness

Cohesiveness is the degree to which the parts of a system fit together and stay united toward a common purpose. It describes the strength of internal bonds that hold components together, whether people in a team, molecules in a substance, or elements within a software module.

In social and organizational contexts, cohesiveness denotes solidarity, mutual trust, and a shared identity within a group. High cohesiveness can improve coordination, communication, and resilience, but may also foster conformity or resistance to outside ideas if unchecked.

Factors shaping social cohesiveness include clear goals and roles, effective leadership, open communication, perceived fairness, and past success. Researchers assess it through surveys, interviews, observation, and social-network analysis, though precise measurement remains challenging.

In materials science and physics, cohesiveness refers to the intrinsic forces that hold a material together—bonds or cohesive forces. It influences tensile strength, hardness, and fracture behavior, and is typically contrasted with adhesion, the attraction between unlike substances.

In software engineering, cohesion describes how closely a module's elements relate to a single purpose. High cohesion is desirable because it simplifies maintenance and testing. Metrics such as functional cohesion and, in some measures, Lack of Cohesion of Methods (LCOM) are used to evaluate code quality.

Thus, cohesiveness is a multidisciplinary concept indicating internal unity that affects performance, stability, and resilience across diverse domains.