Institute For The Future

Pyramidal intelligence to collective intelligence

Via John Thackara, I recently read Jean-François Noubel's "Collective Intelligence: The Invisible Revolution." As the abstract puts it, the main question is this: Can large organizations

 

become as reactive, flexible, transparent, responsive, and innovative as small teams? Can they evolve even further, toward a global Collective Intelligence? Can they conjugate their interests with overriding concerns of humanity such as ethics, sustainability, etc…? The answer today is a resounding yes. It is not only possible, but absolutely necessary for not just the efficiency of these organizations but above all for the well-being of human society.

The aim of this paper is to provide the key concepts underlying collective intelligence and to explore how modern organizations and individuals can concretely learn how to increase their collective intelligence, i.e. their capability to collectively invent the future and reach it in complex contexts.

 

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