With the right organization a group can overcome the cognitive limitations of its members and achieve a high collective intelligence. To understand how to endow groups with collective IQ, it is useful to examine natural systems that have evolved this ability. An excellent example is a swarm of honey bees solving the life-or-death problem of choosing a new home. A bee swarm accomplishes this through a process that was discovered in Germany in the 1940s, and that has been analyzed more deeply in recent years. It includes collective fact-finding, open sharing of information, vigorous debating, and fair voting by the 300-500 bees in a swarm that function as nest-site scouts. Thomas Seeley’s research at Cornell University focuses on collective intelligence in animal groups. He is the recipient of the Alexander von Humboldt Distinguished Scientist Award and is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
