Focal Points, Coordination
The Coordination Dilemma
The Coordination Dilemma is a Focal Points and Coordination scenario. The core lesson: Coordination games are solved by shared expectations, not strategy, the focal point is whatever is obviously obvious to both people. You and a friend got separated in a crowded foreign city. No phones, no pre-arranged meeting spot. DecisionPlay maps the players, payoffs, and equilibrium dynamics that shape how this situation typically resolves.
The situation
You and a friend got separated in a crowded foreign city. No phones, no pre-arranged meeting spot. You both want to find each other. Where do you go?
Background
Thomas Schelling's focal point theory shows that coordination games, where two parties need to make matching choices without communication, are solved not by strategic reasoning but by shared salience. People spontaneously converge on whatever is 'obviously obvious' to both parties, even without explicit agreement.
What this reveals
Shared expectations, not strategy, solve coordination games
In a pure coordination game, there is no strategic reasoning that produces the right answer, only shared salience. Two people independently picking 'the obvious meeting spot' don't need to strategize; they need to share knowledge of what's obvious. This is Schelling's focal point: the answer is whatever is obviously obvious to both parties, which is a social fact, not a logical deduction.
How to counter it: When you introduce a new process, a new convention, or a new team norm, ask: what makes this 'obviously obvious' to everyone who needs to follow it? If there's no shared salience, the coordination will fail, not because people disagree, but because there's no focal point to converge on.
A question to sit with
When you introduce a new process at work, what makes it catch on? Usually not the best option, the most obvious one.
Frequently asked questions
- What game theory concept does The Coordination Dilemma illustrate?
- The Coordination Dilemma illustrates Focal Points, Coordination. Coordination games are solved by shared expectations, not strategy, the focal point is whatever is obviously obvious to both people.
- What is the situation in The Coordination Dilemma?
- You and a friend got separated in a crowded foreign city. No phones, no pre-arranged meeting spot. You both want to find each other.
- What does The Coordination Dilemma reveal about how people decide?
- Shared expectations, not strategy, solve coordination games. In a pure coordination game, there is no strategic reasoning that produces the right answer, only shared salience. Two people independently picking 'the obvious meeting spot' don't need to strategize; they need to share knowledge of what's obvious. This is Schelling's focal point: the answer is whatever is obviously obvious to both parties, which is a social fact, not a logical deduction.
- How do you avoid the trap in The Coordination Dilemma?
- When you introduce a new process, a new convention, or a new team norm, ask: what makes this 'obviously obvious' to everyone who needs to follow it? If there's no shared salience, the coordination will fail, not because people disagree, but because there's no focal point to converge on.
- What is the research behind The Coordination Dilemma?
- Thomas Schelling's focal point theory shows that coordination games, where two parties need to make matching choices without communication, are solved not by strategic reasoning but by shared salience. People spontaneously converge on whatever is 'obviously obvious' to both parties, even without explicit agreement.
- How long does The Coordination Dilemma take to play?
- About 7 min, at intro difficulty, across 4 decision points. It runs in your browser with no account and no sign-in.
Keep exploring
More Classical Game Theory scenarios, or browse all scenarios. New to this? Start with how DecisionPlay works or the game theory glossary.
Topics: focal-points, coordination, schelling, game-theory