The term "co-intelligence" refers to a shared, integrated form of
intelligence that we find in and around us when we're most vibrantly alive. It
is also found in cultures that sustain themselves harmoniously with nature and
neighbor.
Co-intelligence shows up whenever we pool our personal
intelligences to produce results that are more insightful and powerful than the
sum of our individual perspectives. Sometimes this happens when we simply listen
well to each other. Most of us have noticed welcome examples of this effect in
our families, groups and communities -- and sometimes in organizations. But we
have also seen more than enough co-stupidity. We've seen people (including
ourselves) acting less intelligently together than we are individually. It
doesn't have to be that way. There are many ways to become more co-intelligent,
some of which are described in this site.
Significantly, co-intelligence
is a capacity we all have, individually and collectively. It is not
a method that can be sold by The Co-Intelligence Institute or anyone else.
There is no one way to be co-intelligent. Almost all of us have already used
co-intelligence at some time to improve work and family relationships, to
support our communities, and to help make a better world. We could use a lot
more. The Co-Intelligence Institute and this site exist to help us do that -- to
point out useful paths in our shared journey. The more we can study this
phenomena together, share stories of our experiences with it, develop positive
guidelines and methods for enhancing it, the more co-intelligence we can bring
to our lives.
Co-intelligence is about creating our shared lives together
-- and doing it well. With co-intelligence:
The more co-intelligent we are, the more tuned in we are to the wholeness,
interconnectedness, and co-creativity of all life -- and the more we can sense
the larger co-intelligence that is always there waiting for us, waiting to
operate through us for the benefit of all.
For more about
co-intelligence, see "Ideas,
Theories and Models" and "Stories
and Examples."
For a powerful overview, read: A compact vision of co-intelligence, a key essay which simplifies co-intelligence into two parts -- collective intelligence and collaborative intelligence. It shows how these together suggest a new vision of cultural transformation that, if understood and applied, could have a profound positive impact on our future.