Teaching an Anthill to Fetch - What makes a network a learning network?

This blog is an exploration of the concept and application of : Collaborative Intelligence. ‘CQ’ as I call it.I am the author of 'Teaching an Anthill to Fetch: Developing Collaborative Intelligence @ Work'.

Ants, and all other insects that live in colonies, appear to be hardwired to serve. By doing so, they ensure their survival. An anthill can survive and feed itself in some of the most hostile environments.

No single ant knows how it all works — nor does it need to. Individually, ants are not that smart, but together they are very intelligent. The ant serves the anthill, which in turn serves the ant. The community the ants create and work to support is well equipped to cope with the challenge of change. In other words, the ant and the colony it belongs to is a good example of high levels of collaborative intelligence (CQ).

Collaborative Intelligence (CQ) is defined as the capacity to harness the intelligence in networks of relationships.

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What makes a network a learning network? « Learning Change

Learning networks of schools are a complex interaction between structures and activities. Each of the key features has a role to play and, like any complex system, the ways in which they combine and interact are innumerable and cannot be predicted in any particular context. Complex systems theory is useful for understanding the workings of networks. A central characteristic of complex adaptive systems is the interdependence of the features, with each one being connected to all of the others. A change in any one invites changes in the rest. For example, the nature of collaborative enquiry will depend also on the quality of relationships; capacity building and support will depend on the kinds of leadership that exist; the role of accountability will depend on the focus and purpose, and so on.