Distributed Minds: Achieving High Performance Through the Collective Intelligence of Knowledge Work Teams

For the first time in history, more employees work with their minds than with their muscles. Their value lies in their mental abilities and their knowledge. Collectively, they are the "mind" of the company -- a mind spread across many individual brains. The authors of this breakthrough book call it "the distributed mind."

The distributed mind is a powerful force, for if two heads are better than one, imagine how much better 20 heads are -- if it is possible to manage them all! That's the fascinating subject of this book: how progressive companies are creating teams of "knowledge workers" and coordinating their individual efforts into a web of high performance.

Using interviews they conducted with hundreds of knowledge workers, the Fishers have identified six trends that will change forever the way we work. The Distributed Mind provides an intriguing look at how to:

*understand the characteristics of knowledge work teams (and the innovative concept of "vertical multiskilling")
* organize multiple specialists into a cohesive unit
* share knowledge without creating information overload * coordinate activities when half the team is spread across the globe (or never in the office)
* understand the critical role of technology in this new work structure
* grasp a whole new organizational form, called "the learning lattice"

The Fishers point out that "knowledge workers" aren't just engineers, lawyers, and programmers. They can be found on the assembly line, as well. It's a new world of work for all!

KIMBALL FISHER & MAREEN DUNCAN FISHER (Portland, OR) are co-founders of the Fisher Group, an internationally known consulting company that specializes in the development of high-performance work teams. Their clients include many Fortune 500 companies, and they have worked extensively across North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. Mr. Fisher is the author of the best-selling Leading Self-Directed Work Teams and co-author of Tips for Teams.