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Collaborative Intelligence summary

Name: Collaborative Intelligence
Rating: 4.4 (105 reviews)
Author: Dawna Markova, Ph.D. and Angie McArthur

Dawna Markova, Ph.D. and Angie McArthur

Thinking with People Who Think Differently

4.4 (105 ratings)

19 mins

Topics

Teamwork

Table of Contents

Collaborative Intelligence
Summary of 9 key ideas

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Key idea 1 of 9

What’s in it for me? Prepare yourself for the collaborative economy.

The days of the rat race are over. No longer will employees strive against their rivals for position and wealth. No, in the future we will all work together to share our ideas, develop them in friendly teams and bring them to fruition for the benefit of all.

OK, so that’s not going to happen.

What is going to happen though – in fact the change has already begun – is that society and the economy will reach a happy medium between a scenario where rivals fight for market position and one where they share ideas. And, if you want to succeed in this type of economy you’d better improve on your collaborative intelligence, which means your ability to work and generate ideas with others.

In these blinks, you’ll discover

how you can stop your attention drifting;
how to make all your meetings productive; and
why, when it comes to the brain, we are all different.

In a world where value is not just placed on things but also on ideas, collaboration has become the most important skill.

Have you ever been stuck in a mind-numbing meeting, feeling like time has slowed to a crawl? Well, here's one explanation for this common experience: in general, people know very little about how to work well with others.

That’s because instead of being prepared for collaboration, we’ve been trained for a market-share economy, in which value is placed on things and power is exercised over others. In this world, success can be measured in the assets one accrues – things like money, cars and houses.

But it’s also a world in which we’re taught to be right and focus on our individual ability, self-sufficiency and independence; one in which a leader is someone who’s comfortable saying “I’m right and you’re wrong,” while handling difference through eradication and control.

On the other hand, in what the authors call a mind-share economy, wealth is based more on ideas and relationships than on transactions. For instance, if two people come up with an idea and talk about it, they’ll both have other ideas. That means the more we share, the more everyone will know.

This simple fact makes generating, developing and executing ideas with other people one of our most valuable abilities. So, instead of trying to outdo your colleague, listen to their perspective and try to learn from them.

But that doesn’t mean doing away with market-share mentality. It just means balancing it with mind-share mentality so we can compete and collaborate while striving toward a common goal. For instance, LinkedIn is in direct competition with headhunters, but also shares with them. As a result, the site knows what headhunters need and can better assist them in using the site to hire LinkedIn’s users – a direct benefit to the company.

However, to emulate LinkedIn you’ll need collaborative intelligence, or the ability to reach out to others, listen to them and open your mind to difference. Because only by doing so will you be able to achieve together.

There are three kinds of attention, all of which are valuable.

If you were asked to define the word attention it would be a piece of cake, right? Think again, because this common word actually breaks down into three forms.

That’s because attention dictates what and who you notice, but also regulates the information flow within yourself and that between you and others. Not just that, but you can aim it, follow it or shift it, depending on your intentions.

Understanding how your brain works is essential to being the best you can be.

When you think of a lemon, what comes to mind? Most people would say the color yellow, a citrusy smell as well as the shape and feel of the fruit. But which came easiest to you?

Your answer depends on the three perceptual channels that profoundly affect the way humans process information. Because when you thought about a lemon you actually experienced three distinct sensations: kinesthetic, meaning the way a lemon feels, visual, or the printed word “lemon” as well as the bright color of the fruit, and finally auditory, or hearing the word “lemon” in your head.

Foster awareness of your own mind pattern and adjust your communication strategies to better collaborate with others.

Have you ever had a colleague whose words you just couldn’t seem to follow? The root of this difficulty might be a mere difference of mind patterns. So, it’s key to understand your own mind pattern and the tools you need for effective communication.

If you find yourself needing to move around to focus and see your attention drifting when people speak, it might be helpful to have a whiteboard handy on which you can jot down notes following a conversation. Or you might benefit from taking small breaks of silence during meetings to allow yourself the space to think things through on your own.

Name, contain and aim your talents to contribute the best of yourself to your team.

Do people ever ask how you got so good at what you do? Most people can’t think of any response other than, “I don’t know, I just do it.” However, there could be a neat explanation and it’s got everything to do with thinking talents – your innate capacity to think in ways that boost your mental energy.

In fact, there are 35 different talents and each human has approximately five of them, which together make up their unique form of intelligence. Some have a talent for creating intimacy – it’s easy for them to forge deep relationships with others. Other people are good at making order and enjoy sorting different variables. People like this dive head first into confusing situations and organize them. A third talent is taking charge, which describes people who motivate others to action. They might be bosses and generally feel comfortable confronting others when necessary.

Understanding cognitive styles, thinking talents and blind spots will improve teamwork and communication.

Are you always having fantastic ideas but rarely getting the opportunity to execute them? Or do you lack good ideas but seem to end up being the one who actually does something? Well, the category you fall into could relate to your preferred way of knowing and approaching challenges – also known as your cognitive style.

What’s that?

Asking questions and accepting uncertainty will let you find inspiration and seek help from others.

How long does it take you to admit your ignorance when you're faced with an idea you don't know the answer to? People who take a long time to fess up in such situations might benefit from knowing that intelligence is not something people are born with, but something we develop.

That’s because thinking that intelligence is fixed makes people feel like they’ve got to know everything and hide what they don’t so people will think they’re smart. The inverse of this approach is what psychologists call a growth mind-set – the perspective that intelligence evolves and that challenges are learning opportunities.

Different types of questions can free your thoughts and broaden your perspective.

Have you ever been in a meeting where it felt like nothing was getting accomplished? Well, there’s a way to avoid this situation and it’s all about success-based and intentional questions. Questions like these can be just the thing to get you or your team moving when you’re stalled or overwhelmed.

Here’s how they work.

Focusing your group’s attention on a common goal will shift its mind-set toward collaboration.

Capturing a group’s attention is a good feeling. So, how can you prevent them from losing interest?

By aligning your attention with that of your team, which means focusing on the present and accounting for individual differences. In a meeting you can draw everyone’s attention by identifying the different assets and skills in the room. You might do so by recounting each person’s past contributions and what they are each good at.

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What is Collaborative Intelligence about?

Collaborative Intelligence (2015) is a guide to developing your own personal form of intelligence by utilizing your unique ways of thinking. These blinks will teach you how to identify and build on your strengths as well as those of others, while adjusting your communication accordingly.

Best quote from Collaborative Intelligence

Market-share mentality is trying to answer who is right and who is wrong, whereas mind-share asks for what is possible.

—Dawna Markova, Ph.D. and Angie McArthur

Who should read Collaborative Intelligence?

Anyone working in a team
Every manager, leader and executive
Anybody who has ever been frustrated by a boring meeting

About the Author

Dawna Markova is a renowned expert in the psychology of human learning and perception, and author of the famous book, Random Acts of Kindness.

Angie McArthur is co-founder of Smart Wired and an expert in communication and learning styles.

Together they are the CEOs of Professional Thinking Partner, a firm that helps companies and customers across the world assess their thinking potential and improve their collaborative capacity.

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