The Architecture of Complex Systems: Do Core-periphery Structures Dominate?
Name
MacCormackCorePeripheryPaperJan19th.pdf
Size
1.54 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
7bd1545b5c812edf5cfd37b9e4da0d0f
Author(s)
MacCormack, Alan
Baldwin, Carliss
Rusnak, John
Date Issued
January 2010
Publisher
Cambridge, MA; Alfred P. Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Series/Report no.
MIT Sloan School of Management Working Paper;4770-10
Abstract
Any complex technological system can be decomposed into a number of subsystems
and associated components, some of which are core to system function while others are
only peripheral. The dynamics of how such “core-periphery” structures evolve and
become embedded in a firm’s innovation routines has been shown to be a major factor in
predicting survival, especially in turbulent technology-based industries. To date
however, there has been little empirical evidence on the propensity with which coreperiphery
structures are observed in practice, the factors that explain differences in the
design of such structures, or the manner in which these structures evolve over time.
We address this gap by analyzing a large number of systems in the software industry.
Our sample includes 1,286 software releases taken from 19 distinct applications. We find
that 75-80% of systems possess a core-periphery structure. However, the number of
components in the core varies widely, even for systems that perform the same function.
These differences appear to be associated with different models of development – open,
distributed organizations developing systems with smaller cores. We find that core
components are often dispersed throughout a system, making their detection and
management difficult for a system architect. And we show that systems evolve in
different ways – in some, the core is stable, whereas in others, it grows in proportion to
the system, challenging the ability of an architect to understand all possible component
interactions. Our findings represent a first step in establishing some stylized facts about
the structure of real world systems.
Persistent DSpace Link
