The Co-Intelligence Institute CII home // CIPolitics home

Factors of Co-intelligence: A Checklist

(long and short forms)




The lists below are an attempt to enumerate some of the many factors involved in how co-intelligent something is. But even the long list is not complete. No such list could be. However, both lists cover a considerable amount of co-intelligence territory and, as such, provide useful frameworks for exploring the details of this subject. They can be used to better understand and evaluate co-intelligence in any activity or approach -- whether real or imaginary. They can guide efforts to actually increase co-intelligence in specific instances. They can also be used simply to gain insights of a general nature, without reference to any specific example.

The structure of the lists below follows the following definition of co-intelligence:

Intelligence
which arises out of, embodies, supports or uses
Wholeness,
Interconnectedness
and
Co-creativity.

In the checklists below, each emphasized element above is broken down into many factors. Note that these elements and the factors listed under them are all intimately related. The placement of factors is somewhat arbitrary and quite arguable. In any case, the long list covers more ground, while the short list is more convenient. Use whichever one is more comfortable and useful to you at any given time.

As you read over the lists, if you find the long list difficult to embrace, try using the short list. However, if you find the long list interesting, by all means use that one. You may wish to go back and forth -- using one, then the other, depending on your need at different times. You can also create lists of your own, perhaps based on these, whose length, content and organization you find more suitable for you than either of the lists below. There's nothing holy about any such lists: they are only as "true" or "valuable" as they are useful to you, for your purposes. If you decide to add other factors or subfactors, or have questions or insights about this list, by all means let us know.


* * * * * Short list * * * * *

Intelligence:

learning/evolution
information/knowlege systems
feedback
successful engagement with life
meaningful engagement with life
multi-modal intelligence (e.g. reason/emotion/intuition)

Wholeness:

inclusion
integration
systems thinking
context
broad perspective
Interconnectedness:
relationship
synergy
community
shared reality and stories
communication systems
ecology

Co-Creativity:

collaboration
participation
peerness / equity
shared benefit
multi-causality (everything has more than one cause,
and causes more than one effect)
letting go

All four:

dialogue
creative use of diversity
self-organization
cycle of evolving coherence

* * * * * Long list * * * * *

Intelligence

responsive development

fruitful engagement

information/knowledge systems

relevance-plus (inclusive, benefit-of-the-doubt relevance)

feedback

modes of intelligence

Wholeness

inclusion, inclusiveness -- especially:

integration

spirituality

wisdom

broad/deep perspective

centeredness

structures/patterns of wholeness

holistic dynamics / energies

holistic capabilities/qualities

Interconnectedness

qualities that support interconnectedness

forms of interconnectedness (note: these are expressed mostly in terms of human connections, but they serve, if only metaphorically, to describe connections between other entities, ideas, issues, etc.)

dynamics of interconnectedness

shared reality (bases for interconnectedness and alignment)

Co-creativity

shared initiative, shared leadership

collaboration, cooperation, partnership, power-with, coordination

participation, stakeholders, democracy (co-creation of shared conditions by all who are subject to those conditions)

mutual aid

shared benefit (or at least results)

(see also all the "shareds" under "bases for interconnectedness," above)

peerness, equity (not equality), non-domination, non-violence, non-hierarchy

freedom

agreements, intersubjective/co-created realities

flow, letting go of

mutiple-causality; fields of influence/probability

co-generation of possibilities

All four

the spiral of evolving coherence

creative use of diversity (some types of diversity listed below)

dialogue

self-organization - (It happens regardless, but not always in ways we like. Self-organization that pleases the participants tends to happen naturally to the extent all the above factors are present. It can be helped along with the following two additional factors:)