Harnessing Collective Intelligence
Standing by our living room picture window, I often see dozens of birds flying in formation and marvel at the beauty of the singular movement. When it reaches the level of the image about, science calls it murmuration—most often done by starlings in the winter months. Other animals demonstrate similar collective behavior—fish swarm in massive schools and geese flock in V formation. Science assumes this behavior may be to deter predators, but as a manifestation of collective intelligence, science has no definitive answers.
I appreciated the approach that systems scientist and author Annaloes Smitsman took during her recent webinar presentation on collective intelligence. Starting from the premis that we humans are a living system, and that a system is larger that its parts, Smitsman took us on a journey embracing the universality of collective intelligence as manifested through nature and life.
Smitsman emphasized that:
Intelligence is more than just knowledge—it’s a sensibility that can mature into wisdom.
Intelligence understands contextualization.
Collective intelligence is about inquiry—by working together to see what is missing.
Collective intelligence is adaptive, self-creating, and self-aware.
Our Jazz Leadership Project defines our Ensemble Mindset principle as: Collaborative Co-creation through Collective Intelligence. This framing speaks to the quality of relationships through mind-centered purpose, soul-centered vision and values, and heart-centered intention. The ensemble is a finely tuned unit with in-depth shared responsibility, accountability, and shared rewards. As a group mechanism, it’s enabled by a common operating platform of shared aspiration, practices, and a common language that leads to high performance. These co-creative dynamics are the driving force for the harmony, tone, rhythm, and ultimate swing of jazz.
A collective describes members of a group with different perspectives and approaches which can lead to better solutions to a given problem. Intelligence refers to the ability to learn, to understand, and to adapt to an environment by using one’s knowledge. As social creatures, our collective intelligence allows us to channel the power of a group’s combined capacity and capability to solve problems or achieve goals that an individual could not alone. The cognitive capability of each individual merges into a greater expanse of intelligence.
Collective intelligence is a body of knowledge and experience that develops out of an ensemble. The decision-making process, consensus-forming, and cultivation of diverse ideas are the motivating factors that unleash the power of the collective.
Frequently, leaders we coach express the lack of team cohesion and synergy as one their biggest challenges. One leader simply asked: how do they play well together?
We can achieve collective intelligence through:
A unity of purpose
A state of interdependence as we recognize the contributions of others
Knowledge sharing to learn diverse perspectives
Feedback to innovate
Collaboration to stimulate co-creation
Harnessing the energy and holding the intention of collective intelligence is how leaders can drive innovation and growth.
ANNOUNCEMENT: Starting in April, due to a substantial increase in our work commitments, we will be moving to a once-a-week post schedule.
