“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
– African Proverb
Research Question: “How can we improve the way we work together on hard problems?”
How parents behave changes how kids behave. How governments behave changes the behavior of other governments. In both situations, what’s going on is complex and it’s constantly changing.
So how do we thrive within complex adaptive systems?
Three complex adaptive system challenges are worth highlighting:
• Complexity. Complex adaptive systems have multiple, dynamic variables which influence system behavior.
• Finding Feedback. Many of the most important signals can be difficult to detect.
• Avoiding Information Overload. With complex adaptive system there is often an abundance of conflicting information.
Collaboration (I.e. people working together) provides a path to thriving within complex adaptive systems. Improvement in three specific areas can significantly improve collaboration:
• Understanding Brains. Specifically, understanding how our brains filter information and link information to action.
• Understanding Groups. Specifically, understanding how groups share information and focus effort.
• Developing Messages. Specifically, improving how people communicate to work together on hard problems.
People have been working together for thousands of years, but collaboration can still be difficult, especially when working on dynamic, complex problems. Three specific challenges involved with working with people are:
• Behavior vs Information. Changing behavior (defined as action driven by information and the environment) involves more than just providing new information. As Derek Sivers says, “If all we needed was information, we’d all be millionaires with six-pack abs.”
• Message vs Messenger. As humans, we tend to focus more on our feelings about the person delivering the message as opposed to what they’re actually saying.
• Emotional vs. Rational Individuals. We like to think we’re all rational. In reality, we all lean heavily on hormones (I.e. emotions) to navigate complex issues. In addition to being emotional, each of us has a unique view of a shared world.
Going in to 2022, I’m focused on three things:
• Organized Beliefs. Knowledge pyramids & reference triangles (ways to pre-organize information in order to rapidly orient to unexpected events).
• Communication. How do people communicate? What do people communicate? What’s the best way to share information? What’s the best way to rapidly develop common context to work with others?
• Organizations. What are different ways groups organize? Which ways work better? Why? How do groups adapt and improve?