Collective intelligence is a form of collective behaviour in which the collective is able to acquire, store, retrieve and assimilate information or knowledge in such a way that it can generate intelligent behaviour. This allows a collective of individuals, with diverse skills and different perspectives, to work together in order to generate creative and adaptive solutions outside the scope of individual cognition. Collective intelligence provides the opportunity to apply knowledge in a broader context and to be aware of the range of opinions and perspectives that are available. The collective can be designed in such a way that the collective efficacy and engagement of each individual contributes to the collective effort and allows for a more efficient production and flow of information.

See also: mutual learning, complexity, systems theory, systems thinking