Leaders are beginning to realise that in order to navigate  VUCA challenges they need to connect up human, artificial and collective intelligences to thrive in complex adaptive systems. All three forms of intelligence are needed to find workable solutions to wicked challenges.

The inclusion, wellbeing and relationship needs of humans in the workplace cannot be divorced from artificial intelligence and collective wisdom. New approaches to leadership will be needed to serve a diverse range of personal needs and collective interests.  

Individual Intelligence

All living things have an innate capacity for communication, sensitivity, movement and thought. With human intelligence, we have the potential to observe, learn and change outcomes. We can grow these abilities, should we choose to. This potential exists in the cells or “agents” that interact within our body and nervous system.

The human brain provides us with a range of capabilities that we can draw on to help us survive and thrive in our daily lives.  Such as our cognitive, emotional, social and practical thinking skills. We can think conceptually, explore possibilities and imagine alternative futures, to act collectively for mutual benefit.

Improved relationship skills are helping us to respond creatively to unpredictable and complex situations. Today, these sources of intelligence are being enhanced by artificial intelligence and technological systems. The concern is that human civilisation is not valuing innate wisdom and could be losing its moral compass in attempts to respond intelligently to rapidly evolving complex challenges.

Artificial Intelligence

This type of intelligence uses advanced computing techniques and data processing to analyse vast amounts of data at unprecedented speeds. This technology offers new insights and solutions that would be impossible for humans to achieve manually. This capability is transforming decision-making processes and knowledge work, allowing better informed choices and more accurate assessments.  

AI will have an impact on all human activity. Data processing technologies can automate repetitive and mundane tasks, provide new jobs and the way we communicate. Freeing up workers to focus on more creative and complex activities has been promised since ethe emergence of the computer. It has improved productivity, but not always enhanced job satisfaction, dealt with moral dilemmas or driven efficiency by reducing the stress.

This technology has the potential to drive innovation by identifying new patterns and trends that may not be immediately noticed by a human observer. By leveraging machine learning and algorithms, organisations can add value to the products and services they provide, optimising operations, and navigating complexity to gain a competitive edge. 

Collective Intelligence

Collective systems combine the actions of many “agents” or entities as they interact with each other and their environment. These “agents” can be individuals, organisations, or even technological components. They can adapt their behaviours based on rules and get improved feedback from technology driven interactions.

This allows the whole system to be dynamic and evolve, responding to complex challenges with innovative strategies. Human systems use values, beliefs and neurolinguistic processes, they guide conversations to find agreement, adapt and achieve better outcomes. Artificial systems too use language recognition and algorithms to find new ways of processing data to enhance performance.

Learning from large group interventions such as Appreciative Inquiry, World Café, Future Search access the collective intelligence of a group, leaders can tap into a wealth of knowledge and experience, driving innovation and achieving better outcomes in a rapidly changing world.

Complex Intelligence

For the above three intelligences to be combined in coherent and effective ways, leaders need to understand how complex systems work. This complex intelligence manifests itself by combining information and actions capable of adapting continuously to changing conditions.

Algorithms can mimic individual and collective intelligence, reproducing language and thinking processes digitally. This enables human and artificial “agents” to learn and make decisions from data that monitors their experience over time. This happens in autonomous vehicles and real-time trading systems.

A complex system has many interconnected parts with many different types of relationships. The parts come together to reach shared goals. These systems can be simple, complicated or chaotic. They are complex when the interactions can only be influenced, but not controlled, for example in regenerative agriculture, business plans, lifestyles, stock markets, climate, etc. 

For example, flocking birds avoid collisions, protect each other, and coordinate their complex actions by following simple rules. This complex behaviour can be reproduced on a computer. A jazz band, for example, allows freedom of expression within given rules and rhythms that are accepted by the group. AI is already able to compose jazz music.

All living things self-regenerate from a learned experience. They grow by replacing or creating mutually beneficial relationships to ensure personal growth and collective survival.

Generative AI systems can understand and generate human language, enabling an automated system to interact in a natural and intuitive way. This intelligence is evident in applications like chatbots, virtual assistants, computer games and language translation services. These artificial systems are useful in augmenting human intelligence and solving complex social problems across various domains of knowledge. Leaders must learn how to initiate and embed the opportunities presented by being able to blend these three types of intelligence.

Summary

The hope is that AI will contribute to solving some of the world’s most pressing social, environmental and human problems. For instance, in environmental conservation, cancer detection, climate research, etc. The ability to monitor and analyse data will help predict and mitigate the negative impact of technological change in people’s lives. Social media, faster diagnostics and medical treatment, etc., have the potential to improve healthcare and reduce its costs.

In a VUCA World, leaders need to be competent at combining these three intelligences. This means having a deep understanding of an individual’s ontology, addressing the similarities and differences when analysing organic processes and machine logic. When problems are multi-dimensional, technological solutions and collective thinking combine to tackle them.

With no single point of control, “agents” in the system can self-organise, learning to adapt to changes as they emerge. This could mean empowering front-line teams, fostering cross-functional management or embedding innovative solutions when they emerge spontaneously. These local interactions use intelligent feedback mechanisms that serve a shared purpose, crucial when leading in a messy, unpredictable environment.

References

The Foundations of Intelligence. The Santa Fe Institute.  https://www.intelligence.santafe.edu

The Dao of Complexity by Jean Boulton. De Gruyter 2024.

Leadership Futures. Henley Business School. 2024 https://assets.henley.ac.uk/v3/fileUploads/Leadership-Futures-Building-a-People-First-Future.pdf

The Coming Wave by Mustafa Suleyman and Michael Bhaskar. Vintage Digital 2023

The Digital and AI Coaches’ Handbook by J Passmore, S J Diller & S Isaacson 2024

Big Mind by Geoff Mulgan. Princeton University Press 2017

Coaching to the Human Soul by Prof Alan Sieler. Newfield Australia 2005

29^th January 2025