Collective action is a phenomenon in which individual or collective stakeholders cooperate or coordinate action toward an outcome that they cannot produce independently. It involves the mobilization of resources pertinent to a given situation and involves a process of mutual interpretation and consensus-forming among stakeholders as they come to mutually beneficial agreements. It recognizes situations in which multiple agents interact without top-down hierarchical control, making decisions that are both voluntary and reflect the collective interests of all stakeholders.

See also: collective intelligence, conflict theory, coordination failure, human nature