Collective Genius
What environment and what leadership style are favourable to develop collective intelligence within the organization?
Author(s): Linda A. Hill, Greg Brandeau, Emily Truelove, Kent Lineback
Publisher: Harvard Business Review Press
Date of publication: 2103
Manageris opinion
It’s difficult to speak of collective intelligence when noticing that brainstorming sessions are often watered down by conformism and group pressure! Indeed, a particular leadership style and environment are needed to capitalize fully on the talent within a team.
How do companies like Pixar manage to innovate and surprise us constantly? They know how to overcome paradoxes. They balance a sense of urgency and time for maturation, collective intelligence and individual recognition, the friction of ideas and interpersonal good will. This is demanding for both team members and the leader alike. Indeed, the leader is no longer the one who selects what ideas to explore and makes authoritative choices. To the contrary, he encourages people to test as many hypotheses as possible and keep their options open as long as possible. This generates discomfort, but is also a valuable source of emulation and new ideas. One of the key success factors lies in the continuous search for feedback and in the ability to welcome it for what it is: constructive criticism of ideas, rather than a personal attack.
An enriching book that sheds new perspective on the role of the innovation leader.
