One of us is smarter than all of us

So many times I've worked on great projects that in the end, were ruined by commitee, ..by some kind of groupthink democratic design decision making process wherein everybody has a say, and everybody feels they have to change something, if not just to dignify being in the room, being asked in the first place. If you're lucky, your work might still retain some spark, but odds are it ends up being all things safe, predictable, and without soul.



This article on the benefits and/or dangers of group-think is really, really compelling.

"More ant interaction equals more sophisticated behavior. It's similar to flocking behavior, of course, where birds follow very simple rules but complex behavior emerges.

And that's all great and intuitive... until you get to humans. Humans, he said, demonstrate the opposite principle: more interactions equals dumber behavior. When we come together and interact as a group seeking consensus, we lose sophistication and intelligence. Ants get smarter while we get dumber."