Self-organizing refers to a system's ability to organize its components into a set of connected activities, patterns, and processes in a way that helps the system survive, adapt and evolve in response to changes in its environment. It is a fundamental principle of systems theory, which states that when different elements interact within a framework of their own choosing and form a larger structure, higher-level properties emerge spontaneously, and the system can interact with its environment in a more efficient way.

See also: emergence, self-organization, agent-based modeling, complex system, evolutionary computing