  We present computational and analytical results indicating that systems of
driven entities with repulsive interactions tend to reach an optimal state
associated with minimal interaction and minimal dissipation. Using concepts
from non-equilibrium thermodynamics and game theoretical ideas, we generalize
this finding to an even wider class of self-organizing systems which have the
ability to reach a state of maximal overall ``success''. This principle is
expected to be relevant for driven systems in physics like sheared granular
media, but it is also applicable to biological, social, and economic systems,
for which only a limited number of quantitative principles are available yet.
