I'm in a mad dash to finish "Wisdom of the Crowds", by James Surowiecki, in my ongoing attempt to read one book a month (at least one!). Sixty pages to go.
Overall the book is informative and worth reading. But as usual with pop-sci books, I'm left unsatisfied because of the lack of depth. The book is in some sense a string of anecdotes tied together under one topic: how decisions and actions made by a group can be more informed than those of any of the individuals that make up the group.
Quotes of interest:
Chapter 9, p 183: One of the consistent findings from decades of small-group research is that group deliberations are more successful when they have a clear agenda and when leaders take an active role in making sure that everyone gets a chance to speak.
Chapter 9, p 186: ... all the evidence suggests that the order in which people speak has a profound effect on the course of a discussion. Earlier comments are more influential ... there's no guarantee that the most-informed speaker will also be the most influential... In groups where the members know each other, status tends to shape speaking patterns, with higher-status people talking more and more often than lower-status people. Even when higher-status people don't really know what they're talking aout, they're more likely to speak.
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