cohessive

Cohessive is a neologism used to describe a property of systems in which components display strong mutual cohesion while preserving the ability to adapt and coordinate across boundaries. The word signals not only tight bonding within parts of a system (cohesion) but also an enduring, process-like interaction that sustains system-wide coherence as circumstances change.

Origins and usage: The term has appeared in discussions within organizational theory, software architecture, and network science as a way to highlight the joint importance of stable relations and flexible collaboration. It is typically applied to multi-agent or multi-team contexts where local interactions reinforce global goals without imposing rigid central control.

Key characteristics: high internal coherence among components; distributed governance with clearly defined interfaces; across-boundary coordination that remains resilient to perturbations; emergence of coherent global behavior from simple local rules; compatibility across multiple scales.

Examples: In a cohessive organization, teams share a common mission and standard operating procedures but retain autonomy to adapt practices to local contexts. In software, a cohessive microservices architecture maintains stable interfaces while enabling dynamic reconfiguration and cross-service workflows. In social networks, cohessive communities sustain dense ties within groups and productive intergroup collaboration.

Limitations: the term lacks a formal, universal definition, and its boundaries overlap with existing concepts like cohesion, resilience, and robustness.

See also: cohesion; cohesive topos; resilience.