Collective Intelligence

A new field of collective intelligence has emerged in the last few years, prompted by a wave of digital technologies that make it possible for organizations and societies to think at large scale. This "bigger mind" - human and machine capabilities working together - has the potential to solve the great challenges of our time. So why do smart technologies not automatically lead to smart results?

New technology is helping us share our wisdom and knowledge much more diversely across race, class, gender and borders. And AI is sparking a revolution in our approach to intelligent thinking—linking us into fast-working brainnets for problem solving. Hannah Critchlow brings us an enlightening, invaluable guide to our future through the evolving new science of collective intelligence. She reveals what it says about us as human beings, shares compelling examples and stories, and shows us how best we can work collectively at work, in families and in any team situation.

For our ancestors, collective intelligence was a normal part of life. We see it today as the mysterious force that enables flocks of birds, swarms of bees, and schools of fish to function together in perfect synchrony, communicating and cooperating at some undetectable level. At its most subtle, it’s an instantaneous knowing, shared by members of a group, of the wisest course of action that will benefit all.

Eighteen-year-old Nami Miyamoto is certain her life is just beginning. She has a great family, just graduated high school, and is on her way to a party where her entire class is waiting for her - including, most importantly, the boy she’s been in love with for years. The only problem? She’s murdered before she gets there.

Over the past few years, Brianna Wiest has gained renown for her deeply moving, philosophical writing. This new compilation of her published work features pieces on why you should pursue purpose over passion, embrace negative thinking, see the wisdom in daily routine, and become aware of the cognitive biases that are creating the way you see your life. Some of these pieces have never been seen; others have been read by millions of people around the world. Regardless, each will leave you thinking: This idea changed my life.

In A Collective Bargain, longtime labor organizer, environmental activist, and political campaigner Jane McAlevey makes the case that unions are a key institution capable of taking effective action against today’s super-rich corporate class. Since the 1930s, when unions flourished under New Deal protections, corporations have waged a stealthy and ruthless war against the labor movement. And they’ve been winning.

If educators’ realities are filtered through the belief that they can do very little to influence student achievement, then it is likely these beliefs will manifest in their practice. The solution? Collective efficacy (CE)—the belief that, through collective actions, educators can influence student outcomes and increase achievement. Educators with high efficacy show greater effort and persistence, willingness to try new teaching approaches, and attend more closely to struggling students’ needs. This book presents practical strategies and tools for increasing student achievement.

Science and politics have collaborated throughout human history and science is repeatedly invoked today in political debates, from pandemic management to climate change. Leading policy analyst Geoff Mulgan here calls attention to the growing frictions caused by the expanding—and unsolicited—authority being heaped upon science. As science increasingly competes with politics, a defined plan of cooperation is urgently needed.

The biggest revolution in history is unfolding right before our eyes. The new internet is upon us, blending two worlds—digital and physical. Today’s dreams are tomorrow’s reality. Science fiction is now science fact—made possible through blockchain technology. Welcome to Web3, where everything changes. Global changes like economies, currencies, governments, and education. And personal changes like identity, sex, communication, and health.

Performance et sérénité... est-il possible de les conjuguer au quotidien, dans l'entreprise et dans les organisations ? Notre société se transforme et nous sommes pris dans une tempête économique, sociale, environnementale, individuelle. Naviguer et diriger dans ce contexte complexe est un challenge, à la fois individuel et collectif, de chaque instant. Comment maintenir une base stable permettant aux équipes d'agir, de progresser et de réussir ?

"Conspire", from the Latin conspirare, means literally to "breathe together". This book is about the Church learning to breathe together the Kingdom of God - using the ubiquity of the Internet to release the power of the Church's collective intelligence. Concepts like blogging, Web 2.0, Generation C (creative), and Open Source are here unpacked in light of the author's desre to engage church leaders in seeing the potential that exists in the pews - and in learning how to unlock that pontential.