Learning from "Teaching an Anthill to Fetch"

Today, let me give a couple of points from an excellent management book, "Teaching an Anthill to Fetch - Developing Collaborative Intelligence @ Work" by Stephen James Joyce.

CQ can be defined as the ability to build, contribute to and manage the power found in networks of people (source: Dialogue and the Art of Thinking Together by William Issacs).

I highly recommend everyone to read this book. In this book, author presents, "CQ - Collaborative Intelligence" to harness energy and intelligence of people. In this book, Author presents 8 elements which help in developing a CQ team:

1. Assumptions
2. Perception
3. Self-Mastery
4. Communication
5. Connection
6. Creativity/Flexibility
7. Meaningful Participation
8. "High CQ" Teams

Each lesson presents what is the element, how it effects a team (or a person) and how to develop it. At the end of the chapter, he links the current element to next element as a natural progression.
This book easy an easy read, yet profound concepts are presented. I love the quotations gathered by the author to reinforce the concept or point mentioned in the chapter. While presenting Assumptions concept, he says, "What shocks me is that as intelligent human beings we often allow ourselves to be fenced in by a piece of string". He also gives a Figure to show how out Self-Fulfilling Prophesy cycle works. Here are the elements: Assumptions -> Perceptions -> Events -> Assumptions -> Evidence -> Assumptions.

Like this, simple, yet profound. Go to his site to read more or buy the book and read. You will love it. Book website also have lots of links to different websites to reinforce the concepts presented in the book. www.anthillsite.com

Enjoy.