Collective intelligence facilitation: finding the wave

We are immersed in our environment, we are what we are transforming and who is transforming us. We are this individually and collectively. In a group, we often perceive the surface of contained emotional reactions, sometimes masked, as a particular energy flows through it; a wave circulates from one to the next, carrying with it affects, emotions and ideas. The concept of the wave helps us to understand the circulation of energy in human groups, which are the very matter of the environment.

What is a wave?

According to Lewin's energy field theory (1970), a group is seen as a dynamic system. He describes the group as an energy field, where individuals and social forces exert mutual influences and constraints. This perspective emphasizes the idea that the behavior of individuals is influenced by the dynamics of the group in which they find themselves. While Kurt Lewin's theoretical model places the emphasis on mutual influences and constraints, the circulation of influences through the understanding of waves offers a new perspective.

"A wave is the propagation of a disturbance producing a reversible variation in the local physical properties of the medium. It travels with a specific speed that depends on the characteristics of the propagation medium." Wikipedia

This description is specific to the physical world, but could well be useful for understanding group dynamics. In the study of collective intelligence in crowds, Mehdi Moussaoui demonstrates through a variety of experiments how human phenomena are subject to the physical properties of matter and the environments in which they occur, as with the model of tomatoes trapped in a box and subject to crowd pressure.

He conducts experiments in which the bodies of crowds are set in motion, with each individual carrying information from one to the next and disseminating it, ultimately influencing and setting in motion an entire ensemble.

Starting not from a crowd but from an individual, Chinese energy arts also offer a model for the circulation of energy (Qi). Qi is the internal/external fluidity that practitioners (martial artists, meditators) practice to gain serenity and flexibility. Some Qi Gong practitioners offer training in the circulation of energy from the sacrum to the occiput, to connect with the heavens. For the Dragon Wave, the aim is to learn to master a complete Yin/Yang cycle of Unity of the Sacrum/Occiput axis, resting on the earth. The movement of the 2 ends of the vertebral axis, sacrum and occiput, is global and synchronous. It tends towards a focus towards which all energy converges.

The movement is said to offer martial artists maximum power at the moment of impact. This gives us the spectacular images of wooden planks or concrete blocks shattered in a single blow. Is it possible to learn how to identify, circulate and direct such energy, not just on an individual scale, but for an entire group? What societal effects could we bring about to transform human systems?

The links between waves and facilitation

In human terms, waves refer to the various forms of communication that propagate within a group. These include sound waves, electromagnetic waves (such as radio signals and WiFi waves), and the brain waves generated by our thoughts and emotions.

Waves can behave coherently and synchronize with each other, creating a phenomenon known as resonance. In collective intelligence facilitation, resonance occurs when group members become attuned to each other, creating greater harmony and cooperation. Effective facilitation can foster this resonance by encouraging active listening, mutual understanding and the creation of a climate of trust. These three ingredients create the possibilities of the same frequency.

Walking at the same pace, adjusting the flow of one's speech to that of others, living a bodily experience that produces common reference points all contribute to human attunement.

Some practitioners of collective intelligence believe that human groups generate a collective energy field that influences group interactions and results. According to this perspective, the waves emitted by each individual interact and combine to form this field. Facilitation can therefore aim to cultivate and channel this collective energy to support decision-making, problem-solving and creativity processes.

Wave-based facilitation techniques

There are various facilitation approaches and techniques that use the understanding of waves to enhance collective intelligence. For example, the "World Café" method encourages small-group conversations that allow ideas to flow freely and spread like waves through the group.

Similarly, mind-mapping and brainstorming techniques stimulate connections between ideas, generating waves of inspiration and innovation. Ideas flow from one to the next, depositing fine traces of each other as they pass, helping to create unity.

Understanding how waves can influence communication and collective intelligence encourages individuals to be more attentive to their own and others' wave emissions. Learning to listen actively and empathize with other group members promotes attunement and resonance. This creates an environment conducive to collaboration and the emergence of new ideas, fostering a culture of give-and-take where everyone contributes to the general interest and will one day benefit from it, rather than just bartering or buying.

Perhaps this is what a living educational ecosystem like Ek-ko is all about?

Sources

Fouloscopie https://fouloscopie.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@Fouloscopie

Wikipedia Onde https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onde#

Ek-ko https://www.ek-ko.fr

Thot cursus - Denis Cristol - Systemic constellations, the body and facilitation
https:// cursus.edu/fr/11581/constellations-systemiques-le-corps-et-la-facilitation

Dragon wave https://www.londedudragon.com

Cnrtl syntonie https://www.cnrtl.fr/definition/syntonie

Lewin, K. (1970). Social Psychology. Paris. Dunod.

The challenge: break a board with your bare hands - RTL TVI - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrIGAWsm5bg