Collaboratively Intelligent Teams Are Boring

It could be said that high CQ teams are quite boring. Within collaboratively intelligent teams there are very few dramas and no exciting heroes saving the day. People pull their weight and support each other to an extraordinary degree.

There is a vigorous pursuit for learning, not only at the individual level, but also at the team level. There is a sense of community within a collaboratively intelligent team / department. People from outside sense this very quickly and notice something special is going on.

We have all had this experience and most of us can’t put our finger on what it is. It's like the difference between listening to a well-rehearsed orchestra and a group of novice musicians that are playing out of key.

A team with high CQ expects challenge and meets it with one eye on results and the other on what it can learn from each encounter with something new. High CQ brings a myriad of advantages and will literally transform an organization from the inside out.

Elsewhere on this site you can use a CQ Quiz to assess the level of collaborative intelligence within your team or organization.

The important characteristics of 'High CQ teams' are:

They are able to share the stress and strain evenly throughout the team – like a tennis racket takes the impact of a ball at one point in the racket and the pressure is spread throughout all the strings.

They have a strong network of connection and support between its members. This accelerates learning enabling the team’s reactions to be rapid and responsive to the challenges the team encounters.

They look after its own; individuals are not left to fend for themselves and staff retention is high because people feel a strong sense of belonging.

They are well connected with other teams and with corporate objectives. Like a healthy organ in the body – it knows what its function is and serves the greater good through rough times and smooth.

They achieve their objectives more through people and less through politics.

They replenishes themselves, growing its members, and constantly learning to better adapt to its environment.

Finally High CQ teams....display a strong sense of meaningful participation, which the members are all nourished by.