Harvard Professor, David Perkins, in his latest book, King Arthur's Round Table, discusses the importance of "organisational Intelligence" and how its absence leads to coblaboration rather than collaboration.

Professor Perkins defines "organizational intelligence" as "how well people put their heads together in a group, team, organization, or community".

When he talks about "developmental leaders", who he contrasts with "authoritarian leaders", Perkins means leaders, often not the most senior in the organisation, "who show through their conduct what it is to think and work well with others, and who guide and coach others informally in patterns of collaboration."

Perkins coined the term "coblaboration" out of exasperation and suggests three defining characteristics:

1. a chaotic pattern of conversation that does not advance much


2. huge time wasted on minor issues


3. groupthink (i.e., when people agree too easily and thoughtlessly on something)

Perkin's suggested cures to 'coblaboration' include good facilitation skills and reserving group conversations for the right situations.

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Bioteams Books Reviews

Organisations are complex living systems claims leading scientist

August 6, 2005 | article by Ken Thompson in Book Reviews (37)

Fritjof Capra says organisations are not just like living systems - they are living systems! In his latest book, The Hidden Connections, Fritjof Capra, acclaimed physicist and author of the Web of Life and the Tao of Physics, challenges us to go beyond the metaphor and see to what extent human organisations can literally be understood as living systems.

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