The Wisdom of Crowds (Part 1)
Posted on March 17, 2008 - Filed Under On Ideation
I was reading an excerpt from James Surowiecki’s book “The Wisdom of Crowds” and came across some interesting facts. Ants, as a species, are quite simple and stupid. Individually, they are unable to accomplish complex tasks. However, their intelligence grows as they interact with each other. The individual ants of limited intelligence follow a simple set of rules, and a complex group behaviour emerges. They can harvest food, build vast networks of tunnels and create a thriving colony.
More Interactions = More Sophisticated Behaviour
The funny thing is that with humans, the opposite occurs – especially in ideation. Individually, we are able to come up with a lot of good ideas. But when we get together in a large group to brainstorm, the quantity and quality of those ideas diminishes.
More Interaction = Dumber Behaviour
When we come together as a group seeking consensus, we lose sophistication and intelligence. Think about the last big group brainstorm that you were in. Groupthink and compromise take over. Everyone gravitates to one or two ideas that monopolize the discussion. No time is spent blowing out new ideas. There is no diversity. And creativity comes from diversity.The irony of “The Wisdom of Crowds” is that for humans, crowds are actually quite dumb.
- Christian
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4 Responses to “The Wisdom of Crowds (Part 1)”
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I would recommend “Emergence.”
http://www.amazon.ca/Emergence-Connected-Brains-Cities-Software/dp/0684868768/
Cool. Thanks Tyler, I’ll definitely check it out.
Wow, that worked.
I would recommend you give me $50.
[…] week , we debunked the myth of the wisdom of crowds. Simple organisms, like ants, can benefit from flocking - individuals follow simple rules, but a […]