COLLECTIVE INTELLIGENCE

Collective intelligence is built on ten core principles, which are applied whenever possible during the preparation and facilitation of workshops. These principles are embedded in facilitation protocols, meaning the way in which the facilitator guides participants through their exchanges and their creation of collective value. There are numerous protocols, each designed to meet a specific objective: innovating on a topic and stimulating creativity, aligning visions, designing a project or strategy, organizing a team around it, assessing a group’s sentiment, making a difficult decision, or solving a problem. As such, collective intelligence plays a central role in strengthening innovation processes and risk management, particularly for topics that are complex or exposed to high levels of uncertainty.

Collective intelligence is especially effective when applied to sustainable development. It may be defined as “the ability of a group of people to collaborate to shape its own future and achieve it within a complex system.” The contemporary challenges facing humanity make this type of collaboration all the more essential.

The imperative of sustainable development collides with the increasing complexity of our technological, economic, social, and ecological environment. Acting alone within an atomized social system is no longer sufficient; we must reinvent our economic and social interactions. Seeds have already been planted—collaborative economy models and circular economy practices rely on principles of cooperation and shared value.

The methodologies of collective intelligence help streamline and strengthen inclusive governance that actively interacts with its ecosystem. They stimulate innovation by drawing on the talents of each individual to address the major challenges of this century. An organization’s commitment to cultivating and leveraging collective intelligence within its activities serves key strategic objectives, in particular:

• Increasing its social capital
• Building a shared vision rooted in individual aspirations
• Reconciling personal fulfillment with that of the organization as a whole
• Strengthening trust and social cohesion
• Gaining agility and efficiency
• Creating synergies across departments
• Leveraging complementarities to innovate in the solutions proposed

A pioneer in applying collective intelligence approaches, the Social and Solidarity Economy stands at the forefront of social and environmental innovation. Bringing together organizations as diverse as associations, enterprises, cooperatives, foundations, and mutual societies, this alternative economy is characterized by its use of participatory governance models involving both internal and external stakeholders. Through mechanisms for dialogue, problem, solving, and ideation, these organizations constantly revisit their purpose and their social utility. For a company, this means finding meaning in its activities and expanding its mission beyond the sole pursuit of profit.

Whether organizations place social and environmental impact at the heart of their purpose, or whether companies are developing their corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategies, the use of collective intelligence in the facilitation of workshops and meetings, supported by experienced facilitators who may be accompanied by visual facilitators or creative artists to deepen immersion, is a strong managerial choice. It actively contributes to building collective success.