View source for Synergy

{{short description|Creation of a whole that is greater than the simple sum of its parts}}
{{for|the [[Christianity|Christian]] concept|Synergism}}
{{Other uses|Synergy (disambiguation)}}

{{Overly detailed|date=March 2023}}
'''Synergy''' is the concept that a combined effect of two or more entities is greater than the sum of their individual effects. The term ''synergy'' comes from the [[Attic Greek]] word συνεργία ''{{lang|el-Latn|synergia}}''<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=synergy | title = Synergy | work = [[Online Etymology Dictionary]] }}</ref> from ''{{lang|el-Latn|synergos}}'', {{lang|el|[[wikt:συνεργός|συνεργός]]}}, meaning "working together". Synergy is similar in concept to [[emergence]].

In essence, synergy describes a situation where the whole is greater than the simple sum of its parts (i.e., a [[Nonlinear system|non-linear]] addition of force, energy, or effect).<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Jaffe |first=Klaus |date=2010-11-01 |title=Quantifying social synergy in insect and human societies |journal=Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology |language=en |volume=64 |issue=11 |pages=1721–1724 |doi=10.1007/s00265-010-1059-0 |bibcode=2010BEcoS..64.1721J |issn=1432-0762}}</ref> It is a fundamental principle observed in various fields, including [[physics]], [[chemistry]], [[biology]], and [[social science]]s. A common example is [[water]], a [[chemical compound|compound]] whose properties are distinct and more complex than those of its constituent [[chemical element|element]]s, [[hydrogen]] and [[oxygen]].

The concept has a long history, with its roots in [[physiology]] and [[theology]] before being applied to [[social psychology]] and [[organizational behavior]]. In [[Christian theology]], for instance, [[synergism]] is the idea that [[salvation in Christianity|salvation]] involves cooperation between [[divine grace]] and [[free will|human freedom]]. 

In the biological sciences, synergy is seen as a key driver of [[evolution]]. The ''Synergism Hypothesis'', proposed by Peter Corning, suggests that the [[cooperation (evolution)|cooperative relationships]] at all levels of living systems, from [[gene]]s to [[social group]]s, are favored by [[natural selection]] because they provide functional advantages for [[Survival of the fittest|survival and reproduction]]. This principle also applies to [[toxicology]] and [[pharmacology]], where the combined effect of multiple substances, such as [[pharmaceutical drug|drug]]s or [[toxin]]s, can be significantly greater than their individual effects, a phenomenon known as [[drug synergy]]. This can be both beneficial, as in [[combination therapy|combination drug therapies]], or harmful, as in the case of combined exposure to [[Toxicity|toxic chemicals]].

In a business context, synergy suggests that a [[team]] can produce a superior result compared to what its members could achieve individually. This is often a goal in corporate [[mergers and acquisitions]], where the combined entity is expected to be more valuable than the two separate companies. However, potential negative effects such as [[groupthink]] can arise in highly cohesive groups, leading to flawed decision-making. Furthermore, in the context of business, the word has been increasingly getting a pejorative connotation due to being used as corporate [[buzzword]] and the association with "management-speak". 

==History==
The words ''synergy'' and ''synergetic'' have been used in the field of [[physiology]] since at least the middle of the 19th century:
<blockquote>
SYN'ERGY, ''Synergi'a'', ''Synenergi'a'', (F.) ''Synergie''; from ''συν'', 'with', and ''εργον'', 'work'. A correlation or concourse of action between different organs in health; and, according to some, in disease.
:—Dunglison, Robley [https://books.google.com/books?id=jAm6AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA835 ''Medical Lexicon''] Blanchard and Lea, 1853
</blockquote>
In 1896, [[:fr:Henri Mazel|Henri Mazel]] applied the term "synergy" to social psychology by writing ''La synergie sociale'', in which he argued that Darwinian theory failed to account of "social synergy" or "social love", a collective evolutionary drive. The highest civilizations were the work not only of the elite but of the masses too; those masses must be led, however, because the crowd, a feminine and unconscious force, cannot distinguish between good and evil.<ref>{{cite book | vauthors = Werth M | chapter = Idyl of the Living Dead | page = 51 | chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=-gDaqOcUMhgC&q=%22social+synergy%22&pg=PA51 |title=The joy of life: the idyllic in French art, circa 1900 |date=2002 | orig-date = 1900 |publisher=University of California Press |location=Berkeley |isbn=978-0-520-22182-6}}</ref>

In 1909, [[Lester Frank Ward]] defined synergy as the universal constructive principle of nature:
<blockquote>
I have characterized the social struggle as centrifugal and social solidarity as centripetal. Either alone is productive of evil consequences. Struggle is essentially destructive of the social order, while communism removes individual initiative. The one leads to disorder, the other to degeneracy. What is not seen—the truth that has no expounders—is that the wholesome, constructive movement consists in the properly ordered combination and interaction of both these principles. This is ''social synergy'', which is a form of cosmic synergy, the universal constructive principle of nature.
:—Ward, Lester F. [https://archive.org/stream/glimpsescosmos00wardgoog#page/n405/mode/1up/search/synergy ''Glimpses of the Cosmos'', volume VI (1897–1912)] G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1918, p. 358
</blockquote>

In [[Christian theology]], [[synergism]] is the idea that salvation involves some form of cooperation between divine grace and human freedom.

A modern view of synergy in natural sciences derives from the relationship between energy and [[Information theory|information]]. Synergy is manifested when the system makes the transition between the different information (i.e. order, [[complexity]]) embedded in both systems.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Jaffe |first=Klaus |date=2023 |title=A Law for Irreversible Thermodynamics? Synergy Increases Free Energy by Decreasing Entropy |journal=Qeios |language=en |doi=10.32388/2VWCJG.5 |issn= |doi-access=free}}</ref>

[[Abraham Maslow]] and [[John Honigmann]] drew attention to an important development in the cultural anthropology field which arose in lectures by [[Ruth Benedict]] from 1941, for which the original manuscripts have been lost but the ideas preserved in "Synergy: Some Notes of Ruth Benedict" (1969).

==Descriptions and usages==
In the natural world, synergistic phenomena are ubiquitous, ranging from [[physics]] (for example, the different combinations of [[Quark|quarks]] that produce [[Proton|protons]] and [[Neutron|neutrons]]) to chemistry (a popular example is water, a compound of hydrogen and oxygen), to the cooperative interactions among the genes in [[Genome|genomes]], the division of labor in [[Bacterial growth|bacterial colonies]], the synergies of scale in [[Multicellular organism|multicellular organisms]], as well as the many different kinds of synergies produced by socially-organized groups, from [[Honey bee|honeybee]] colonies to wolf packs and human societies: compare [[stigmergy]], a mechanism of indirect coordination between agents or actions that results in the [[self-assembly]] of [[complex system]]s. Even the tools and technologies that are widespread in the natural world represent important sources of synergistic effects. The tools that enabled early [[hominin]]s to become systematic big-game hunters is a primordial human example.<ref>{{cite book | vauthors = Corning PA |title=Nature's magic: synergy in evolution and the fate of humankind |date=2003 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=New York |isbn=978-0-521-82547-4}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | vauthors = Corning PA |title=Holistic Darwinism: synergy, cybernetics, and the bioeconomics of evolution |date=2005 |publisher=University of Chicago Press |location=Chicago |isbn=978-0-226-11613-6}}</ref>
 
In the context of [[organizational behavior]], following the view that a cohesive group is more than the sum of its parts, synergy is the ability of a group to outperform even its best individual member. These conclusions are derived from the studies conducted by Jay Hall on a number of laboratory-based group ranking and prediction tasks. He found that effective groups actively looked for the points in which they disagreed and in consequence encouraged conflicts amongst the participants in the early stages of the discussion. In contrast, the ineffective groups felt a need to establish a common view quickly, used simple decision making methods such as averaging, and focused on completing the task rather than on finding solutions they could agree on.<ref name = "Buchanan_1997">{{cite book | vauthors = Buchanan DA, Huczynski A |title=Organizational behaviour: an introduction text |date=1997 |publisher=Prentice Hall |location=London |isbn=978-0-13-207259-5 |edition=3rd}}</ref>{{rp|276}}
In a technical context, its meaning is a construct or collection of different elements working together to produce results not obtainable by any of the elements alone. The elements, or parts, can include people, hardware, software, facilities, policies, documents: all things required to produce system-level results. The value added by the system as a whole, beyond that contributed independently by the parts, is created primarily by the relationship among the parts, that is, how they are interconnected. In essence, a system constitutes a set of interrelated components working together with a common objective: fulfilling some designated need.<ref>{{cite book | vauthors = Blanchard BS |title=System engineering management |date=2004 |publisher=John Wiley |location=Hoboken, NJ |isbn=978-0-471-29176-3 |edition=3rd | page = 8 }}</ref>

If used in a business application, synergy means that teamwork will produce an overall better result than if each person within the group were working toward the same goal individually. However, the concept of group [[cohesion (social policy)|cohesion]] needs to be considered. Group cohesion is that property that is inferred from the number and strength of mutual positive attitudes among members of the group. As the group becomes more cohesive, its functioning is affected in a number of ways. First, the interactions and communication between members increase. Common goals, interests and small size all contribute to this. In addition, group member satisfaction increases as the group provides friendship and support against outside threats.<ref name = "Buchanan_1997" />{{rp|275}}

There are negative aspects of group cohesion that have an effect on group decision-making and hence on group effectiveness. There are two issues arising. The [[risky shift]] phenomenon is the tendency of a group to make decisions that are riskier than those that the group would have recommended individually. Group [[Polarization (politics)|Polarisation]] is when individuals in a group begin by taking a moderate stance on an issue regarding a common value and, after having discussed it, end up taking a more extreme stance.<ref name = "Buchanan_1997" />{{rp|280}}

A second, potential negative consequence of group cohesion is group think. Group think is a mode of thinking that people engage in when they are deeply involved in cohesive group, when the members' striving for unanimity overrides their motivation to appraise realistically the alternative courses of action. Studying the events of several American policy "disasters" such as the failure to anticipate the Japanese [[attack on Pearl Harbor]] (1941) and the [[Bay of Pigs Invasion]] fiasco (1961), Irving Janis argued that they were due to the cohesive nature of the committees that made the relevant decisions.<ref name = "Buchanan_1997" />{{rp|283}}

That decisions made by committees lead to failure in a simple system is noted by Dr. Chris Elliot. His case study looked at [[IEEE-488]], an international standard set by the leading US standards body; it led to a failure of small automation systems using the IEEE-488 standard (which codified a proprietary communications standard [[HP-IB]]). But the external devices used for communication were made by two different companies, and the incompatibility between the external devices led to a financial loss for the company. He argues that systems will be safe only if they are designed, not if they emerge by chance.<ref>{{cite conference | vauthors = Elliot C | title = System safety and Law | conference = Proceedings of First International Conference on System Safety | publisher = Institution of Engineering and Technology | location = London | pages = 344–351 | date = 2006 }}</ref>
   
The idea of a systemic approach is endorsed by the [[United Kingdom]] [[Health and Safety Executive]]. The successful performance of the health and safety management depends upon the analyzing the causes of incidents and accidents and learning correct lessons from them. The idea is that all events (not just those causing injuries) represent failures in control, and present an opportunity for learning and improvement.<ref>{{cite book |title=Successful health and safety management. |date=2000 |publisher=UK Health and Safety Executive Books |location=Sudbury |isbn=978-0-7176-1276-5 |edition=[New]}}</ref> UK Health and Safety Executive, ''Successful health and safety management'' (1997): this book describes the principles and management practices, which provide the basis of effective health and safety management. It sets out the issues that need to be addressed, and can be used for developing improvement programs, self-audit, or self-assessment. Its message is that organizations must manage health and safety with the same degree of expertise and to the same standards as other core business activities, if they are to effectively control risks and prevent harm to people.

The term synergy was refined by [[R. Buckminster Fuller]], who analyzed some of its implications more fully<ref name = "Fuller_1982">{{cite book | vauthors = Fuller RB | title = Synergetics: Explorations in the geometry of thinking.  | date = 1982 | url =  http://www.rwgrayprojects.com/synergetics/s01/p0100.html | isbn = 978-0-02-065320-2 | publisher = Estate of R. Buckminster Fuller; Macmillan Publishing Company, Inc. | location = New York }} in collaboration with E. J. Applewhite. Introduction and contribution by Arthur L. Loeb.</ref> and coined the term [[Synergetics (Fuller)|synergetics]].<ref name = "Fuller_1982" />

* A dynamic state in which combined action is favored over the difference of individual component actions.
* Behavior of whole systems unpredicted by the behavior of their parts taken separately, known as [[emergent behavior]].
* The cooperative action of two or more stimuli (or drugs), resulting in a different or greater response than that of the individual stimuli.

==Information theory==
{{see also| Partial Information Decomposition}}

Mathematical formalizations of synergy have been proposed using [[information theory]] to rigorously define the relationships between "wholes" and "parts".<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Gutknecht AJ, Wibral M, Makkeh A | title = Bits and pieces: understanding information decomposition from part-whole relationships and formal logic | journal = Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences| volume = 477 | issue = 2251 | article-number = 20210110 | date = July 2021 | pmid = 35197799 | pmc = 8261229 | doi = 10.1098/rspa.2021.0110 | arxiv = 2008.09535 | bibcode = 2021RSPSA.47710110G }}</ref> In this context, synergy is said to occur when there is information present in the joint state of multiple variables that cannot be extracted from the individual parts considered individually. For example, consider the logical [[XOR gate]]. If <math>Y=XOR(X_1,X_2)</math> for three binary variables, the [[mutual information]] between any individual source and the target is 0 bit. However, the joint mutual information <math>I(X_1,X_2;Y)=1</math> bit. There is information about the target that can only be extracted from the joint state of the inputs considered jointly, and not any others. 

There is, thus far, no universal agreement on how synergy can best be quantified, with different approaches that decompose information into redundant, unique, and synergistic components appearing in the literature.<ref>{{Cite arXiv | vauthors = Williams PL, Beer RD |date=2010-04-14 |title=Nonnegative Decomposition of Multivariate Information |class=cs.IT |eprint=1004.2515 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal | vauthors = Quax R, Har-Shemesh O, Sloot PM |date=February 2017 |title=Quantifying Synergistic Information Using Intermediate Stochastic Variables |journal=Entropy |language=en |volume=19 |issue=2 |page=85 |doi=10.3390/e19020085 |issn=1099-4300|doi-access=free |arxiv=1602.01265 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal | vauthors = Rosas FE, Mediano PA, Rassouli B, Barrett AB |date=2020-12-04 |title=An operational information decomposition via synergistic disclosure |journal=Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical |volume=53 |issue=48 |page=485001 |doi=10.1088/1751-8121/abb723 |arxiv=2001.10387 |bibcode=2020JPhA...53V5001R |s2cid=210932609 |issn=1751-8113}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Kolchinsky A | title = A Novel Approach to the Partial Information Decomposition | journal = Entropy | volume = 24 | issue = 3 | page = 403 | date = March 2022 | pmid = 35327914 | doi = 10.3390/e24030403 | pmc = 8947370 | arxiv = 1908.08642 | bibcode = 2022Entrp..24..403K | doi-access = free }}</ref> Despite the lack of universal agreement, information-theoretic approaches to statistical synergy have been applied to diverse fields, including climatology,<ref>{{Cite journal | vauthors = Goodwell AE, Jiang P, Ruddell BL, Kumar P |date= February 2020 |title=Debates—Does Information Theory Provide a New Paradigm for Earth Science? Causality, Interaction, and Feedback |journal=Water Resources Research |language=en |volume=56 |issue=2 |article-number= e2019WR024940 |doi=10.1029/2019WR024940 |bibcode= 2020WRR....5624940G |s2cid= 216201598 |issn=0043-1397|doi-access=free }}</ref> neuroscience<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Newman EL, Varley TF, Parakkattu VK, Sherrill SP, Beggs JM | title = Revealing the Dynamics of Neural Information Processing with Multivariate Information Decomposition | journal = Entropy | volume = 24 | issue = 7 | page = 930 | date = July 2022 | pmid = 35885153 | doi = 10.3390/e24070930 | pmc = 9319160 | bibcode = 2022Entrp..24..930N | doi-access = free }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Luppi AI, Mediano PA, Rosas FE, Holland N, Fryer TD, O'Brien JT, Rowe JB, Menon DK, Bor D, Stamatakis EA | display-authors = 6 | title = A synergistic core for human brain evolution and cognition | journal = Nature Neuroscience | volume = 25 | issue = 6 | pages = 771–782 | date = June 2022 | pmid = 35618951 | doi = 10.1038/s41593-022-01070-0 | s2cid = 249096746 | pmc = 7614771 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Wibral M, Priesemann V, Kay JW, Lizier JT, Phillips WA | title = Partial information decomposition as a unified approach to the specification of neural goal functions | journal = Brain and Cognition | volume = 112 | pages = 25–38 | date = March 2017 | pmid = 26475739 | doi = 10.1016/j.bandc.2015.09.004 | series = Perspectives on Human Probabilistic Inferences and the 'Bayesian Brain' | s2cid = 4394452 | doi-access = free | arxiv = 1510.00831 }}</ref> sociology,<ref>{{Cite journal | vauthors = Varley TF, Kaminski P |date= October 2022 |title=Untangling Synergistic Effects of Intersecting Social Identities with Partial Information Decomposition  |journal=Entropy |language=en |volume=24 |issue=10 |page=1387 |doi=10.3390/e24101387 |pmid= 37420406 |pmc= 9611752 |bibcode= 2022Entrp..24.1387V |issn=1099-4300|doi-access= free }}</ref> and machine learning<ref>{{Cite journal | vauthors = Tax TM, Mediano PA, Shanahan M |date= September 2017 |title=The Partial Information Decomposition of Generative Neural Network Models |journal=Entropy |language=en |volume=19 |issue=9 |page=474 |doi=10.3390/e19090474 |bibcode= 2017Entrp..19..474T |issn=1099-4300|doi-access= free |hdl=10044/1/50586 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> Synergy has also been proposed as a possible foundation on which to build a mathematically robust definition of [[Emergence|emergence in complex systems]]<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Varley TF, Hoel E | title = Emergence as the conversion of information: a unifying theory | journal = Philosophical Transactions. Series A, Mathematical, Physical, and Engineering Sciences | volume = 380 | issue = 2227 | article-number = 20210150 | date = July 2022 | pmid = 35599561 | pmc = 9131462 | doi = 10.1098/rsta.2021.0150 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Mediano PA, Rosas FE, Luppi AI, Jensen HJ, Seth AK, Barrett AB, Carhart-Harris RL, Bor D | display-authors = 6 | title = Greater than the parts: a review of the information decomposition approach to causal emergence | journal = Philosophical Transactions. Series A, Mathematical, Physical, and Engineering Sciences | volume = 380 | issue = 2227 | article-number = 20210246 | date = July 2022 | pmid = 35599558 | pmc = 9125226 | doi = 10.1098/rsta.2021.0246 }}</ref> and may be relevant to formal theories of consciousness.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Luppi AI, Mediano PA, Rosas FE, Harrison DJ, Carhart-Harris RL, Bor D, Stamatakis EA | title = What it is like to be a bit: an integrated information decomposition account of emergent mental phenomena | journal = Neuroscience of Consciousness | volume = 2021 | issue = 2 | article-number = niab027 | date = 2021 | pmid = 34804593 | pmc = 8600547 | doi = 10.1093/nc/niab027 }}</ref>

==Biological sciences==
Synergy of various kinds has been advanced by [[Peter Corning]] as a causal agency that can explain the progressive evolution of complexity in living systems over the course of time. According to the Synergism Hypothesis, synergistic effects have been the drivers of cooperative relationships of all kinds and at all levels in living systems. The thesis, in a nutshell, is that synergistic effects have often provided functional advantages (economic benefits) in relation to survival and reproduction that have been favored by natural selection.  The cooperating parts, elements, or individuals become, in effect, functional "units" of selection in evolutionary change.<ref>{{cite book | vauthors = Corning PA |title=The synergism hypothesis: a theory of progressive evolution |date=1983 |publisher=McGraw-Hill |location=New York |isbn=978-0-07-013166-8}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | vauthors = Corning PA |title=Holistic Darwinism: synergy, cybernetics, and the bioeconomics of evolution |date=2005 |publisher=University of Chicago Press |location=Chicago |isbn=978-0-226-11613-6}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Corning PA | title = Synergy and self-organization in the evolution of complex systems. | journal = Systems Research | date = 1995 | volume = 12 | issue = 2 | pages = 89–121 | doi = 10.1002/sres.3850120204 | url = http://www.complexsystems.org/publications/pdf/synselforg.pdf | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110720103635/http://www.complexsystems.org/publications/pdf/synselforg.pdf | archive-date=2011-07-20 }}</ref> Similarly, environmental systems may react in a non-linear way to perturbations, such as climate change, so that the outcome may be greater than the sum of the individual component alterations. Synergistic responses are a complicating factor in environmental modeling.<ref name="pmid17841254">{{cite journal | vauthors = Myers N | title = Environmental unknowns | journal = Science | location = New York, N.Y. | volume = 269 | issue = 5222 | pages = 358–60 | date = July 1995 | pmid = 17841254 | doi = 10.1126/science.269.5222.358 | bibcode = 1995Sci...269..358M | s2cid = 45407924 }}</ref>

===Pest synergy===
Pest synergy would occur in a [[biology|biological]] [[Host (biology)|host]] [[organism]] population, where, for example, the introduction of [[parasite]] A may cause 10% fatalities, and parasite B may also cause 10% loss. When both parasites are present, the losses would normally be expected to total less than 20%, yet, in some cases, losses are significantly greater. In such cases, it is said that the parasites in combination have a synergistic effect.

=== Drug synergy ===
{{also|Codrug#Common codrugs|Combination drug#Common combination drugs}}

Mechanisms that may be involved in the development of synergistic effects include:
*Effect on the same cellular system (e.g. two different [[antibiotics]] like a [[penicillin]] and an [[aminoglycoside]]; penicillins damage the cell wall of gram-positive [[bacteria]] and improve the penetration of aminoglycosides).<ref name = "Tripathi_2013">{{cite book | vauthors = Tripathi KD |title=Essentials of medical pharmacology |date=2013 |location=New Delhi | publisher = JP Medical Ltd |isbn=978-93-5025-937-5 |edition=Seventh }}</ref>{{rp|698}}
*[[Bioavailability]] (e.g. [[ayahuasca]] (or [[pharmahuasca]]) consists of [[N,N-Dimethyltryptamine|DMT]] combined with [[Monoamine oxidase inhibitor|MAOIs]] that interfere with the action of the MAO enzyme and stop the breakdown of chemical compounds such as DMT).
*Reduced risk for [[substance abuse]] (e.g. [[lisdexamfetamine]], which is a combination of the [[amino acid]] [[Lysine|<small>L</small>-lysine]], [[covalently bonded|attached to]] [[dextroamphetamine]], may have a lower liability for abuse as a recreational drug)
*Increased potency (e.g. as with other [[Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug|NSAIDs]], [[Compound analgesic|combinations]] of aspirin and [[caffeine]] provide slightly greater pain relief than aspirin alone.<ref name=pmid22419343>{{cite journal | vauthors = Derry CJ, Derry S, Moore RA | title = Caffeine as an analgesic adjuvant for acute pain in adults | journal = The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews | volume = 3 | issue = 3 | article-number = CD009281 | date = March 2012 | pmid = 22419343 | doi = 10.1002/14651858.CD009281.pub2 | s2cid = 205199173 | veditors = Derry S }}</ref>).
*Prevention or delay of degradation in the body (e.g. the antibiotic [[Ciprofloxacin]] inhibits the metabolism of [[Theophylline]]).<ref name = "Tripathi_2013" />{{rp|931}}
*Slowdown of excretion (e.g. [[Probenecid]] delays the [[renal]] excretion of Penicillin and thus prolongs its effect).<ref name = "Tripathi_2013" />{{rp|931}}
*Anticounteractive action: for example, the effect of [[oxaliplatin]] and [[irinotecan]]. Oxaliplatin [[wikt:intercalation|intercalates]] DNA, thereby preventing the cell from replicating DNA. Irinotecan inhibits [[topoisomerase 1]], consequently the cytostatic effect is increased.<ref name="Jia_2009">{{cite journal | vauthors = Jia J, Zhu F, Ma X, Cao Z, Cao ZW, Li Y, Li YX, Chen YZ | title = Mechanisms of drug combinations: interaction and network perspectives | journal = Nature Reviews. Drug Discovery | volume = 8 | issue = 2 | pages = 111–28 | date = February 2009 | pmid = 19180105 | doi = 10.1038/nrd2683 | s2cid = 54466254 | url = http://scholarbank.nus.edu.sg/handle/10635/27058 }}</ref>
*Effect on the same receptor but different sites (e.g. the coadministration of benzodiazepines and barbiturates, both act by enhancing the action of GABA on GABA<sub>A</sub> receptors, but benzodiazepines increase the frequency of channel opening, whilst barbiturates increase the channel closing time, making these two drugs dramatically enhance GABAergic neurotransmission).{{citation needed|date=May 2018}}
* In addition to the chemical nature of the drug itself, the topology of the chemical reaction network that connect the two targets determines the type of drug-drug interaction.<ref>Mehrad Babaei et al., Biochemical reaction network topology defines dose-dependent Drug–Drug interactions. Comput Biol Med 155:106584 (2023)  doi: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2023.106584</ref> 

More mechanisms are described in an exhaustive 2009 review.<ref name="Jia_2009"/>

===Toxicological synergy===
Toxicological synergy is of concern to the public and regulatory agencies because chemicals individually considered safe might pose unacceptable health or ecological risk in combination. Articles in scientific and lay journals include many definitions of chemical or toxicological synergy, often vague or in conflict with each other. Because toxic interactions are defined relative to the expectation under "no interaction", a determination of synergy (or antagonism) depends on what is meant by "no interaction".<ref name="pmid12013546">{{cite journal | vauthors = Hertzberg RC, MacDonell MM | title = Synergy and other ineffective mixture risk definitions | journal = The Science of the Total Environment | volume = 288 | issue = 1–2 | pages = 31–42 | date = April 2002 | pmid = 12013546 | doi = 10.1016/s0048-9697(01)01113-5  | bibcode = 2002ScTEn.288...31H }}</ref> The [[United States Environmental Protection Agency]] has one of the more detailed and precise definitions of toxic interaction, designed to facilitate risk assessment.<ref name="EPAMixRisk">{{cite web | vauthors = Choudhury H, Hertzberg R, Rice G, Cogliano J, Mukerjee D, Teuschler L, Doyle E, Woo Y, Schoeny R | display-authors = 6 | collaboration = Risk Assessment Forum Technical Panel | url = http://ofmpub.epa.gov/eims/eimscomm.getfile?p_download_id=4486 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130405142340/http://ofmpub.epa.gov/eims/eimscomm.getfile?p_download_id=4486 | archive-date = April 5, 2013 | publisher = U.S. EPA | date = August 2000 | title = Supplementary Guidance for Conducting Health Risk Assessment of Chemical Mixtures. | work = Risk Assessment Forum | location = Washington, DC }}</ref> In their guidance documents, the no-interaction default assumption is dose addition, so synergy means a mixture response that exceeds that predicted from dose addition. The EPA emphasizes that synergy does not always make a mixture dangerous, nor does antagonism always make the mixture safe; each depends on the predicted risk under dose addition.

For example, a consequence of pesticide use is the risk of health effects. During the registration of [[pesticide]]s in the [[United States]] exhaustive tests are performed to discern health effects on humans at various exposure levels. A regulatory upper limit of presence in foods is then placed on this pesticide. As long as residues in the food stay below this regulatory level, health effects are deemed highly unlikely and the food is considered safe to consume.

However, in normal agricultural practice, it is rare to use only a single pesticide. During the production of a crop, several different materials may be used. Each of them has had determined a regulatory level at which they would be considered individually safe. In many cases, a commercial pesticide is itself a combination of several chemical agents, and thus the safe levels actually represent levels of the mixture. In contrast, a combination created by the end user, such as a farmer, has rarely been tested in that combination. The potential for synergy is then unknown or estimated from data on similar combinations.  This lack of information also applies to many of the chemical combinations to which humans are exposed, including residues in food, indoor air contaminants, and occupational exposures to chemicals. Some groups think that the rising rates of cancer, asthma, and other health problems may be caused by these combination exposures; others have alternative explanations. This question will likely be answered only after years of exposure by the population in general and research on chemical toxicity, usually performed on animals. Examples of pesticide synergists include [[Piperonyl butoxide]] and [[MGK 264]].<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.epa.gov/oppsrrd1/reevaluation/pyrethroids-pyrethrins.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110202121751/http://www.epa.gov/oppsrrd1/reevaluation/pyrethroids-pyrethrins.html | archive-date = 2 February 2011 | title = Pyrethroids and Pyrethrins | date = August 2010 | publisher = U.S. Environmental Protection Agency }}</ref>

==Human synergy==
Synergy exists in individual and social interactions among humans, with some arguing that social cooperation requires synergy to continue.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Corning |first=Peter A. |date=1998-01-01 |title=Synergy: Another idea whose time has come? |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1061736199800022 |journal=Journal of Social and Evolutionary Systems |volume=21 |issue=1 |pages=1–6 |doi=10.1016/S1061-7361(99)80002-2 |issn=1061-7361|url-access=subscription }}</ref> One way of quantifying synergy in human social groups is via energy use, where larger groups of humans (i.e., cities) use energy more efficiently that smaller groups of humans.<ref name=":0" /> 

Human synergy can also occur on a smaller scale, like when individuals huddle together for warmth or in workplaces where labor specialization increase efficiencies.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Corning |first=Peter |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Elwzu8vUmhQC |title=Nature's Magic: Synergy in Evolution and the Fate of Humankind |date=2003-05-05 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-139-44218-3 |language=en}}</ref>

When synergy occurs in the work place, the individuals involved get to work in a positive and supportive working environment.  When individuals get to work in environments such as these, the company reaps the benefits.  The authors of ''Creating the Best Workplace on Earth'' [[Rob Goffee]] and Gareth Jones, state that "highly engaged employees are, on average, 50% more likely to exceed expectations that the least-engaged workers.  And companies with highly engaged people outperform firms with the most disengaged folks- by 54% in [[employee retention]], by 89% in [[customer satisfaction]], and by fourfold in revenue growth.<ref name="Goffee_2013" />{{rp|100}} Also, those that are able to be open about their views on the company, and have confidence that they will be heard, are likely to be a more organized employee who helps his/ her fellow team members succeed.<ref name="Goffee_2013">{{cite journal | vauthors = Goffee R, Jones G | title = Creating the best workplace on earth | journal = Harvard Business Review | volume = 91 | issue = 5 | pages = 98–106, 150 | date = May 2013 | pmid = 23898736 | doi = | url = https://hbr.org/2013/05/creating-the-best-workplace-on-earth }}</ref>

Human interaction with technology can also increase synergy. [[Organismic computing]] is an approach to improving group efficacy by increasing synergy in human groups via technological means.

== Theological synergism ==
{{main|synergism}}In [[Christian theology]], synergism is the belief that [[Salvation in Christianity|salvation]] involves a cooperation between divine [[Grace in Christianity|grace]] and human freedom.{{sfn|Bordwell|1999|p=766|ps=. "[Synergism involves] a kind of interplay between human freedom and divine grace".}} [[Eastern Orthodox]] theology, in particular, uses the term "synergy" to describe this relationship, drawing on biblical language: "in Paul's words, 'We are fellow-workers (''synergoi'') with God' (1 Corinthians iii, 9)".{{sfn|Ware|1993|loc=PT274|ps=. "To describe the relation between the grace of God and human freedom, Orthodoxy uses the term cooperation or synergy (''synergeia''); in Paul's words, 'We are fellow-workers (''synergoi'') with God' (1 Corinthians iii, 9). If we are to achieve full fellowship with God, we cannot do so without God's help, yet we must also play our own part: we humans as well as God must make our contribution to the common work, although what God does is of immeasurably greater importance than what we do."}}

==Corporate synergy==
{{main|corporate synergy}}
[[Corporate synergy]] occurs when corporations interact congruently.  A corporate synergy refers to a financial benefit that a corporation expects to realize when it [[Mergers and acquisitions|merges with or acquires]] another corporation.  This type of synergy is a nearly ubiquitous feature of a corporate acquisition and is a negotiating point between the buyer and seller that impacts the final price both parties agree to. There are distinct types of corporate synergies, as follows.

===Marketing===
A [[marketing]] synergy refers to the use of [[Public service announcement|information campaign]]s, studies, and scientific discovery or experimentation for [[research and development]]. This promotes the sale of products for varied use or off-market sales as well as development of [[Marketing strategy|marketing tool]]s and in several cases exaggeration of effects. It is also often a meaningless [[buzzword]] used by corporate leaders.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Synergy Myth: And Other Ailments Of Business Today | vauthors = Geneen H, Bowers B |publisher=St. Martin's Press |year=1997 |isbn=978-0-312-14724-2 |page=xii |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3nNwQgAACAAJ}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Beyond Political Correctness: Social Transformation in the United States | vauthors = Cummings MS |publisher=Lynne Rienner Publishers |year=2001 |isbn=978-1-58826-006-2 |page=92 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7mgAwXas5xIC}} [https://books.google.com/books?id=7mgAwXas5xIC&pg=PA92 Extract of page 92]</ref>

===Revenue===
A [[revenue]] synergy refers to the opportunity of a combined corporate entity to generate more revenue than its two predecessor stand-alone companies would be able to generate. For example, if company A sells product X through its sales force, company B sells product Y, and company A decides to buy company B, then the new company could use each salesperson to sell products X and Y, thereby increasing the revenue that each salesperson generates for the company.

Potential revenue synergies are generally taken less seriously than cost synergies by M&A investment bankers due to the uncertainty introduced by markets. A [[McKinsey & Company|McKinsey]] report found that around 70% of predicted revenue synergies from mergers failed to materialize.<ref>{{Cite web |last=https://www.mckinsey.com/client_service/corporate_finance/latest_thinking/mckinsey_on_finance/~/media/mckinsey/dotcom/client_service/corporate%20finance/mof/pdf%20issues/mof_issue_10_winter%2004.ashx |title= |url=}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Cost Synergies in Merger Models: Tutorial & Excel Example |url=https://breakingintowallstreet.com/kb/ma-and-merger-models/cost-synergies/ |access-date=2025-09-17 |language=en-US}}</ref>

In [[Media Revenue Generation|media revenue]], synergy is the promotion and sale of a product throughout the various [[Subsidiary|subsidiaries]] of a [[media conglomerate]], e.g. films, soundtracks, or video games.

===Financial===
[[Finance|Financial]] synergy gained by the combined firm is a result of number of benefits which flow to the entity as a consequence of acquisition and merger. These benefits may be:

====Cash slack====
This is when a firm having a number of cash extensive projects acquires a firm which is cash-rich, thus enabling the new combined firm to enjoy the profits from investing the cash of one firm in the projects of the other.

====Debt capacity====
If two firms have no or little capacity to carry [[Corporate bond|debt]] before individually, it is possible for them to join and gain the capacity to carry the debt through decreased gearing (leverage).  This creates value for the firm, as debt is thought to be a cheaper source of finance.

====Tax benefits====
It is possible for one firm to have unused [[Tax deduction|tax benefit]]s which might be offset against the profits of another after combination, thus resulting in less tax being paid. However this greatly depends on the tax law of the country.

===Management===
Synergy in [[management]] and in relation to teamwork refers to the combined effort of individuals as participants of the team.<ref name="law2003">{{cite journal | vauthors = Lawford GR | title = Beyond success: Achieving synergy in teamwork. | journal = The Journal for Quality and Participation | date = October 2003 | volume = 26 | issue = 3 | page = 23 | url = https://www.proquest.com/openview/2de291971139ca8c61040f197719fbbf/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=37083 }}</ref> The condition that exists when the organization's parts interact to produce a joint effect that is greater than the sum of the parts acting alone. Positive or negative synergies can exist. In these cases, positive synergy has positive effects such as improved efficiency in operations, greater exploitation of opportunities, and improved utilization of resources. Negative synergy on the other hand has negative effects such as: reduced efficiency of operations, decrease in quality, underutilization of resources and disequilibrium with the external environment.

===Cost===
A cost synergy refers to the opportunity of a combined corporate entity to reduce or eliminate expenses associated with running a business. Cost synergies are realized by eliminating positions that are viewed as duplicate within the merged entity.<ref>{{cite web | vauthors = Kenton W | veditors = Khartit K | date = 30 June 2021 | url = http://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/costsynergy.asp | title = Cost Synergy | work = Investopedia }}</ref> Examples include the headquarters office of one of the predecessor companies, certain executives, the human resources department, or other employees of the predecessor companies. This is related to the economic concept of [[Returns to scale|economies of scale]].

==Synergistic action in economy==
The synergistic action of the economic players lies within the economic phenomenon's profundity. The synergistic action gives different dimensions to competitiveness, strategy and network identity becoming an unconventional "weapon" which belongs to those who exploit the economic systems' potential in depth.<ref name = "Laura-Melinda_2011" />{{rp|3–4}}

===Synergistic determinants===
The synergistic gravity equation (SYNGEq), according to its complex "title", represents a synthesis of the endogenous and exogenous factors which determine the private and non-private economic decision makers to call to actions of synergistic exploitation of the economic network in which they operate. That is to say, SYNGEq constitutes a big picture of the factors/motivations which determine the entrepreneurs to contour an active synergistic network. SYNGEq includes both factors which character is changing over time (such as the competitive conditions), as well as classics factors, such as the imperative of the access to resources of the collaboration and the quick answers. The synergistic gravity equation (SINGEq) comes to be represented by the formula:<ref name = "Laura-Melinda_2011" />{{rp|33, 37}}

{{center|1=ΣSYN.Act = ΣR-*I(CRed+COOP<big>+</big>+A<sup>Unimit.</sup>)*V(Cust.+Info.)*cc}}

where:
*ΣSYN.Act = the sum of the synergistic actions adopted (by the economic actor)
*Σ R- = the amount of unpurchased but necessary resources
*ICRed = the imperative for cost reductions
*ICOOP<big>+</big> = the imperative for deep cooperation (functional interdependence)
*IA<sup>Unimit.</sup> = the imperative for purchasing unimitable competitive advantages (for the economic actor)
*VCust = the necessity of customer value in purchasing future profits and competitive advantages VInfo = the necessity of informational value in purchasing future profits and competitive advantages
*cc = the specific competitive conditions in which the economic actor operates

===Synergistic networks and systems===
The synergistic network represents an integrated part of the economic system which, through the coordination and control functions (of the undertaken economic actions), agrees synergies. The networks which promote synergistic actions can be divided in horizontal synergistic networks and vertical synergistic networks.<ref name = "Laura-Melinda_2011" />{{rp|6–7}}

===Synergy effects===
The synergy effects are difficult (even impossible) to imitate by competitors and difficult to reproduce by their authors because these effects depend on the combination of factors with time-varying characteristics. The synergy effects are often called "synergistic benefits", representing the direct and implied result of the developed/adopted synergistic actions.<ref name = "Laura-Melinda_2011">{{cite book | vauthors = Laura-Melinda S | title = The Necessity to Exploit the Economic Network's Synergistic Potential | publisher = LAP LAMBERT Academic Publishing | location = Saarbrücken, Germany | date = 2011 }}</ref>{{rp|6}}

==Computers==
Synergy can also be defined as the combination of human strengths and computer strengths, such as [[advanced chess]]. Computers can process data much more quickly than humans, but lack the ability to respond meaningfully to arbitrary stimuli.

==Synergy in literature==
Etymologically, the "synergy" term was first used around 1600, deriving from the Greek word "synergos", which means "to work together" or "to cooperate". If during this period the synergy concept was mainly used in the theological field (describing "the cooperation of human effort with divine will"), in the 19th and 20th centuries, "synergy" was promoted in physics and biochemistry, being implemented in the study of the open economic systems only in the 1960 and 1970s.<ref name = "Laura-Melinda_2011" />{{rp|5}}

In 1938, [[J. R. R. Tolkien]] wrote an essay titled ''On Fairy Stores'', delivered at an Andrew Lang Lecture, and reprinted in his book, ''The Tolkien Reader'', published in 1966. In it, he made two references to synergy, although he did not use that term. He wrote:

<blockquote>
Faerie cannot be caught in a net of words; for it is one of its qualities to be indescribable, though not imperceptible. It has many ingredients, but analysis will not necessarily discover the secret of the whole.
</blockquote>

And more succinctly, in a footnote, about the "part of producing the web of an intricate story", he wrote:

<blockquote>
It is indeed easier to unravel a single ''thread'' &mdash; an incident, a name, a motive &mdash; than to trace the history of any ''picture'' defined by many threads. For with the picture in the tapestry a new element has come in: the picture is greater than, and not explained by, the sum of the component threads.
</blockquote>

==Synergy in the media==

The informational synergies which can be applied also in media involve a compression of transmission, access and use of information's time, the flows, circuits and means of handling information being based on a complementary, integrated, transparent and coordinated use of knowledge.<ref name = "Laura-Melinda_2011" />{{rp|9}}

In media economics, synergy is the promotion and sale of a product (and all its versions) throughout the various subsidiaries of a media conglomerate,<ref>{{cite book | vauthors = Campbell R, Martin C, Fabos B | title = Media & culture: Mass communication in a digital age. | location = Boston, Bedford St. Martins | date = 2007 | page =  606 }}</ref> e.g. films, soundtracks or video games. [[Walt Disney]] pioneered synergistic marketing techniques in the 1930s by granting dozens of firms the right to use his [[Mickey Mouse]] character in products and ads, and continued to market Disney media through licensing arrangements. These products can help advertise the film itself and thus help to increase the film's sales. For example, the [[Spider-Man in film|Spider-Man films]] had toys of webshooters and figures of the characters made, as well as posters and games.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Dalecki L | title = Hollywood media synergy as IMC. | journal = Journal of Integrated Marketing Communications | date = January 2008 | volume = 8 | issue = 1 | pages = 47–52 | url = http://jimc.medill.northwestern.edu/JIMCWebsite/2008/HollywoodMediaSynergy.pdf | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100613230145/http://jimc.medill.northwestern.edu/JIMCWebsite/2008/HollywoodMediaSynergy.pdf |archive-date=2010-06-13 }}</ref> The NBC sitcom [[30 Rock]] often shows the power of synergy, while also poking fun at the use of the term in the corporate world.<ref>30 Rock episode 3.09; Liz: "I hate those corporate things; a bunch of drunk people talking about 'synergy'." Jack: "First of all, never badmouth 'synergy'!"</ref> There are also different forms of synergy in popular card games like [[Magic: The Gathering]], [[Yu-Gi-Oh!]], [[Cardfight!! Vanguard]], and [[Future Card Buddyfight]].

== See also ==
{{col div|colwidth=30em}}
*[[Behavioral cusp]]
*[[Emergence]]
*[[Gestalt psychology|Gestalt]]
*[[Holism]]
*[[Perfect storm]]
*[[Stroke]]
*[[Synergetics (Fuller)|Synergetics]]
*[[Synergism]]
*[[Systems theory]]
{{colend}}

== References ==
===Citations===
{{Reflist}}
===Sources===
* {{cite book |language=en |last=Bordwell |first=David |title=Catechism Of The Catholic Church Revised PB |location=London |publisher=Burns & Oates |date=1999}}
* {{cite book |language=en |last=Ware |first=Timothy |title=The Orthodox Church |location=London |publisher=Penguin UK |date=1993 |isbn=978-0-14192500-4 |author-link=Kallistos Ware}}

== External links ==
{{Wiktionary}}
* {{Wikiquote-inline|synergy}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20040803100734/http://www.complexsystems.org/publications/synhypo.html Synergism Hypothesis]

[[Category:Evolutionary biology concepts]]
[[Category:Holism]]
[[Category:Production economics]]

{{Combined substance use and adulteration}}