The Power of Crowdsourcing

I had the most amazing experience yesterday. I wish you all could have been there. I'll wager that there is not one of you who would not benefit from a similar experience. Here's what happened: For three full hours I was provided the opportunity to present to nine coaches-in-training an organizational problem about which I was asked clarifying questions, provided a consensual take on the "real" problem, and offered solutions. It ended with my commitment to take action based on shared understandings. You are reading Commitment Number One right now. But let me start from the beginning.  

A couple of weeks ago, friend and TLA consultant MJ Hall, introduced me to Chuck Appleby out of Vienna, Virginia. Chuck trains organizational and leadership developers in a methodology called "action learning." He finds organizational leaders like me who agree to be "problem owners." Under Chuck's expert guidance and usually by telephone or Skype, action learning students convene to practice. For the "problem owner," it's not unlike going to the barber college for a haircut, I suppose. But believe me, I got a heckofa good-looking haircut and paid nothing for it.

Chuck likens action learning to a Quaker tradition. He told me that when someone in the Quaker community has a problem, he may request an audience with a "clearness committee" Once convened, an officiating clerk sets out the ground rules: The problem owner may speak for no more than three minutes after which the only permissible time to speak is in response to a question; committee members may pose clarifying questions; members are encouraged to pose questions of each other; members come to agreement on the problem and ask the owner to reflect; members reflect on how the owner might address his problem, continuing to check in with the him until an agreement to act is reached. One hallmark of a quality session, I was told, is the amount of time spent in silence. Oh, could we learn a thing or two about practicing silence!

In action learning, educators will recognize elements of Critical Friends Group protocols and the like. Part of what made my experience so valuable, however, is missing when teams of like-subject or same-school teachers conduct these protocols--diversity. Attending my problem were for-profit business owners, nonprofit organization leaders, independent consultants, and employees of the federal government, including individuals from the US Geological Survey and Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Their diverse perspectives and lived experiences provided me with exactly what I needed. Living inside your own head is bad but talking to other people just like you can be worse. We've got to find better ways to get different voices, especially those we do not wish to hear, at our table.

About my experience yesterday, I am sure you want to learn the details of my shared problem, my coaches' proposed solutions, and my commitments to action. Alas, we have come the end of this Friday's blog. I'll take up next week where I have left off. But as Chris Matthews says, "let me finish" with this: The power of crowdsourcing that we are learning from Web 2.0 tools like Wikipedia is huge, it's real, and in keeping with this blog, it builds future-ready leaders now. When appropriate protocols are employed by people of good will and common purpose, there truly is wisdom in crowds. More to follow.