The definition of collective intelligence somewhat sounds like Communities of Practice. I guess because the definition of both is people in a community helping one another. People getting ideas from people and sharing and growing together. Definition of Collective
- Assembled or accumulated into a whole.
- Of, relating to, characteristic of, or made by a number of people acting as a group: a collective decision.
Definition of Intelligence.
- The capacity to acquire and apply knowledge.
- The faculty of thought and reason.
- Superior powers of mind.
So I put the definition together People together acquiring knowledge. People can help each other by sharing ideas. On my blog about Communities of Practice I added how large corporations were secretive about new ideas they came up with because of competition but when they started sharing their ideas the came up with solutions to problems they had and ways to make them better. They helped each other and surprisingly the company grew by interacting with the competitors and everyone benefited and gained knowledge from each other. Collective Intelligence may be a new term but we have been doing this for decades. People communicate with each other who share the same interest. The ask questions, get new ideas and hopefully come up with a better solution or product.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collective%5Fintelligence
http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/intelligence
http://www.masternewmedia.org/2003/05/27/what_is_collective_intelligence.htm
I don’t think I read your communities of practice blog. What I do find interesting is that even helping your competitors grew their business. Better solutions Is what I believe we are all after. I wonder, how much better can good get?
Comment by Kris — November 26, 2008 @ 3:03 am