The wisdom of crowds / James Surowiecki.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Surowiecki, James, 1967-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Consensus (Social sciences).

Common good.

Group decision making.

Group Processes.

Consensus.

Decision Making.

Problem Solving.

Medical Subjects:

Group Processes.

Consensus.

Decision Making.

Problem Solving.

Physical Description:

xxi, 306 pages ; 21 cm

Edition:

First Anchor books edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : Anchor Books, [2005]

Summary:

In this book, New Yorker columnist Surowiecki explores a deceptively simple idea that has profound implications: large groups of people are smarter than an elite few, no matter how brilliant--better at solving problems, fostering innovation, coming to wise decisions, even predicting the future. With seemingly boundless erudition and in clear, entertaining prose, Surowiecki ranges across fields as diverse as popular culture, psychology, ant biology, economic behaviorism, artificial intelligence, military history and political theory to show just how this principle offers important lessons for how we live our lives, select our leaders, run our companies, and think about our world.--From publisher description.

Contents:

The wisdom of crowds

The difference difference makes : waggle dances, the Bay of Pigs, and the value of diversity

Monkey see, monkey do : imitation, information cascades, and independence

Putting the pieces together : the CIA, Linux, and the art of decentralization

Shall we dance? : coordination in a complex world

Society does exist : taxes, tipping, television, and trust

Traffic : what we have here is a failure to coordinate

Science : collaboration, competition, and reputation

Committees, juries, and teams : the Columbia disaster and how small groups can be made to work

The company : meet the new boss, same as the old boss?

Markets : beauty contests, bowling alleys, and stock prices

Democracy : dreams of the common good

Afterword to Anchor Books edition.

Notes:

Includes new afterword.

Previous ed.: Doubleday, 2004. Published as : The wisdom of crowds : why the many are smarter than the few and how collective wisdom shapes business, economies, societies, and nations.

Includes bibliographical references (pages [285]-306).

ISBN:

0385721706

9780385721707

OCLC:

61254310

Online:

Contributor biographical information Contributor biographical information

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