The Spanish proverb says that four eyes see more than two and that the union makes the force , This is obvious: when several people decide to collaborate towards an objective, the probabilities of success will be greater, because two or more brains will think much better than one alone. After this statement, we can roughly guess what the collaborative intelligence is.

Collaborative intelligence: defining the concept

The word intelligence comes from the Latin intelligentia , a term whose origin is intelligere which in turn is formed by intus which means “between” and legere which means “to choose”. So we can say that intelligence is the ability to know how to choose, and that the better the choice made from all the possible options, the more intelligent the individual is considered .

The term collaboration also has its origin in Latin and is formed by con- (together), laborare (work) and -ción (action and effect). So we can define collaboration as the action and effect of working together with another person or persons to try to achieve a common goal .

If we put both definitions together, we can say that the term collaborative intelligence means choosing the best option to achieve a certain goal by working together . This definition is an approach based on the etymology of its words, but serves as a basis for understanding a more complex description below.

Collaborative intelligence in the business environment

Nowadays, there is no unanimity when it comes to define exactly what collaborative intelligence is , so there are many definitions, among them we highlight the one given by the ICXCI ( Innovation Center for Collaborative Intelligence ):

“Collaborative intelligence (CI) is an orderly deliberation, facilitated by social technologies, that allows a set of people to create better shared knowledge and make decisions, with greater possibilities of overcoming the challenges and difficulties posed by different human activities in an increasingly complex and changing environment”.

In companies, today more than ever we live in a global and digital world where information technologies are advancing by leaps and bounds, it is beginning to be necessary to promote collaborative intelligence to achieve intelligent companies , capable of adapting to any change and need.

Thus, there are many organizations that for some years have been betting on the recruitment and retention of corporate talent, so we assume that we have companies full of talent and innovative ideas that find a suitable ground in environments that encourage collaboration, and of course have the technological resources and funding to carry out ambitious projects.

Cooperation between diverse people is the key to business success

But that talent, individually is not enough, a person alone is not always able to find the best solution or path to take. It is not productive, in this age of hyperspecialization, to have isolated talents.

However, if we implement mechanisms and tools for cooperation and collaboration between all these talents, so that they relate and interact with each other in such a way that they are able to face any challenge, we will obtain much more optimal and effective results than if they did it individually .

Tips for Promoting Collaborative Intelligence

Since we have already explained what collaborative intelligence is from a theoretical point of view, the only thing left to do is to address certain keys to foster cooperation in the practical field. Let’s get started:

  • Whoever does not cooperate, does not interest the company . Explain to the whole team the need for collaboration as a policy and objective of the company.
  • Create collaborative spaces, both physical and virtual , where those involved in the project can work.
  • In any work where several people are involved, because of different views and individual talents, there is bound to be conflict. You have to know how to manage them and make them look like something necessary for the team.
  • The more cooperative a worker is, the more value he has for the group . These will be the main talents to be retained. because they are the people who serve as the connection between the different departments of the company.
  • Implementation of intelligent and 2.0 tools that serve to generate conversation and reflection on the proposals made and that convert all the information into collective and useful knowledge.
  • All knowledge must be shared . “Nobody knows everything, everybody knows something, all knowledge resides in humanity” (Pierre Lévy). It is important that the different sections of the company do not act as isolated focuses but as an organized whole.

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  • The leader must exercise collaborative leadership based on trust.

Some conclusions about collaborative intelligence

Collaborative intelligence provides a much more creative and efficient way of working .

Workers feel that they are part of the organisation, so their motivation increases and a good working climate is created. Many connected minds, with a common goal, can deliver unthinkable results far beyond what is expected. That is why it is worth betting on collaborative intelligence in our organization.