Collective Wisdom or Collective Folly: What Do you Nurture as a Leader?

I often say “we are smarter than me,”… referring to the increased capacity, deep wisdom, creativity, and solid decisions that groups of people can make – as opposed to one individual acting in isolation. No matter how smart that one person is, in general they will be “outsmarted” but a group of people. That is, of course, if that group of people can work together effectively.

Briskin, Erickson, Ott, and Callanan examine the phenomena of group decision making in their book, The Power of Collective Wisdom: And the Trap of Collective Folly. They answer how groups can come up with novel and powerful solutions to intractable problems at times – and at other times wallow in cobbled together solutions that are amazingly awful.

In a world where our problems are bigger than ever, and where the world is increasing connected, and technology advancements are outpacing our ability to assimilate them, we need to find ways to do more of the former, rather than the latter; to come together in meaningful ways to find creative solutions and ideas.

Since the early days of humans, people have gathered together to seek answers. First around a fire, then around a table or in a forum. The structure of our democratic government is founded on seeking answers from diverse perspectives across the whole for the collective good. The founding fathers did this brilliantly, yet we see daily how our democratic processes have broken down in America – resulting in collective “folly” rather than wisdom.

Peter Senge describes collective wisdom as “most evident in quiet confidence that our “not knowing” is our strength, that the ability to ask deep questions is more important that offering superficial answers – and that imagination, commitment, patience and openness, and trust in one another will consistently trump IQ over the long haul.”

What distinguishes groups that operate in collective wisdom? They connect deeply, looking for the right action to achieve a higher purpose by inviting new perspectives and broader thinking. They do not rely on the single expert and instead mine the collective experiences. They don’t fragment into functional expertise, but seek integrated perspectives. They don’t isolate decision making, but invite and encourage broad thinking and reflection.

A quote I like from the book: “Wisdom arises in the gaps between what is known and unknown; in the small openings that allow new meanings and perspectives to take hold.”  To do so takes suspending what we think we know (expertise), thinking more expansively and honoring different perspectives and ways of knowing.

The authors share specific actions each of us can take to create the space in which collective wisdom can emerge, and warns us of actions that impede this process. Enabling collective wisdom to emerge is neither easy nor fast. It takes moving beyond our own egos. It takes the discipline to really listen rather than expound and defend. It takes getting comfortable with ambiguity, messiness and the unknown. It takes slowing things down and being comfortable in non-linear group processes.

If you are interested in helping nurturing collective wisdom in the groups you are a part of, you’ll want to do a deeper dive by reading the book. In the meantime, here is a short list of actions you can take to improve the chances that your next group decision will be grounded in wisdom rather than folly.

To Foster Collective Wisdom	To Foster Collective Folly
Create a safe space for people to share what they think. Welcome all thoughts. Encourage dialog. Thank people for their thoughts.	Punish people who speak up or offer alternative perspectives. Shut them down. Make fun of them. Sigh. Roll your eyes. Don’t invite them the next time.
Listen carefully to all perspectives & ideas with an open mind. Explore. Examine. Seek to understand what others are seeing and thinking.	As the leader, reserve most of the meeting for your agenda, ideas and solutions. After all, you know best!
Suspend certainty about existing views & beliefs. Be willing to challenge each other. Be OK with not knowing.	Never show vulnerability. Maintain a façade of being in control and all-knowing at any cost.
Invite a broad swath of perspectives, even if they don’t always agree with you. Include people outside your function. Ask who this decision impacts and create a place for them.	Determine in advance who agrees with your ideas. Invite them to the meeting so as to get to agreement quickly and easily.
Ask compelling questions that may not have an answer. Things like: What is the most important aspect of this? What are we not seeing? What is the best possible outcome? What are we not discussing that we should?	Tell don’t ask. Asking is a sign of weakness.
Look at the situation from a variety of viewpoints. Ask who is not in the room that needs to be considered. What does this look like in 6 months? In 6 years? In 60 years?	Remember, it is every person for him/her self. Protect your turf at all costs. Do what moves your area forward.
Welcome all that arises. Focus on getting the best solution rather than the most expedient one. Get comfortable with different. Get comfortable with silence. Get comfortable with discomfort.	Run a tight meeting. Don’t get distracted by those that try to divert you from where you are headed.
Invite and encourage alternative points. Talk them out respectfully. Have the tough conversations in the meeting rather than in the hallway. Trust that when the right solution emerges, there will be unity.	Don’t allow dissention. Insist that everyone agree – even if they don’t.
Allow quiet or reflective time for something new to emerge. Plan for it. Give people time to gather their thoughts. Breathe. Slow down for the important decisions. Know that slowing down when needed enables you to go faster later on.	Have your outcome firmly in mind before you start the meeting. Use the meeting to explain and assign action steps – nothing else.

Your choice – which path do you want to take?