Successful Mass Collaboration

Very interesting “Thinking Allowed” today with Charles Leadbeater discussing his “We-Think” (subtitle – Mass innovation not mass production).

Very brief part of the programme – but I was taken by the comment that all (that is all) successful bottom-up / de-centralised / self-organising collaborations like Wikipedia, Linux etc, not only seem to have some freedom-limiting rules, but also have some “aristocracy” to apply some form of governance. Collaborations that deliberately preserve or encourage 100% anarchy – total freedom and nothing else – do not evolve progressively. Governance is essential and an essential aspect of that governance is an “elite” with additional rights and responsibilities beyond those of general community members.

A thesis I’ve expressed many times, in a number of discussion forums that end up going nowhere fast, despite the progressive intent of their memberships.

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