The term stigmergy came into the general lexicon from studies of swarm intelligence in insects like ants, but has rapidly become a prescription for organizing complex human systems.
Stigmergy is the spontaneous, indirect coordination among people (or other social organisms or machines) that results when traces left in the environment by one action stimulate another action by those same people or by others.
Two characteristics of stigmergy have made it a particularly important design concept for the 21st century. First, it is a form of self-organization; it produces complex, apparently intelligent structures, without need for any planning, control, or even communication among those who use the structures. Second, it creates this coordination by making small, continuous changes to the environment; effectively turning entire landscapes into tools of collaboration.