Comments about the book

The Power of Collective Wisdom and the trap of collective folly

By Alan Briskin, Sheryl Erickson, John Ott, and Tom Callanan

Paperback: 220 pages
Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers (October 1, 2009)
ISBN-10: 1576754456, ISBN-13: 978-1576754450

From the back cover:

Based on nine years of research, The Power of Collective Wisdom shows how we can reliably tap into the extraordinary cocreative potential that exists whenever human beings gather together.

Stories and historical examples illustrate how collective wisdom has emerged in a range of cultures, settings, and traditions, and the authors offer a set of practices to help readers realize the key lessons of the book. Equally important, they describe how to recognize the pitfalls of polarization or false agreement that lead to collective folly. Ultimately, this book emerges from a deep conviction that we all have a stake in each other and that what binds us together can be greater than what drives us apart.