Collaborative Intelligence: Using Teams to Solve Hard Problems (AGENCY/DISTRIBUTED) - Hardcover

"This is surely the best piece of work on organizing and motivating the analytic side of intelligence. But it is much more than this - a more rigorous and careful analysis of decision-making by groups with diverse talents, i.e., teams, than any I have seen before. It goes far towards filling a gap between the relatively voluminous literature on individual decision-making and the almost equally extensive literature on managing large organizations. In the middle lie, crucially, the work teams that produce wise or unwise decisions. Hackman argues persuasively, drawing on a thorough familiarity with the academic literature, that what it takes to develop groups that produce wise decisions is within our read. And he shows us how to do it."
----Philip B. Heymann, James Barr Ames Professor of Law, Harvard Law School and former U.S. Deputy Attorney General

"I have seen first-hand the importance of effective teamwork in the intelligence community and the barriers to achieving it not only there, but in any organization. Drawing on his own firsthand knowledge and pioneering research, and using fascinating case examples, Professor Hackman offers an insightful analysis of six factors that enable truly great teams develop and thrive in the private as well as the public sector."
--Anthony Oettinger, Gordon McKay Research Professor of Applied Mathematics, and Research Professor of Information Resources Policy, Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and former chair, U.S. Intelligence Science Board

"Richard Hackman has written an invaluable book, which cCombines rich psychological insight with detailed, practical guidance on how to create and manage teams in the national security community. It is an indispensable guide to best practices, lessons learned, and the many questions that will need to be thought through carefully before yielding to the temptation to 'get a team together'."
--Joseph P. Hayes, First Richard Helms Chair for Espionage, Central Intelligence Agency

"Collaborative Intelligence is highly accomplished and very readable. It will be of great interest to the intelligence community and to executives, managers, and the reading public interested in how to create outstanding teams within organizations and how to use them effectively. It serves both as a very smart, accessible and practical guide and as a superb introduction to the underlying scholarly research."
--Lynn Eden, Senior Research Scholar, Center for International Security and Cooperation, Stanford University

"At last, a smart book about smart teams. Hackman goes beyond the superficial into the makeup and management of the group mind. Interesting case material and research-based advice make this a must-read for those who work with teams or depend on their collective intelligence."
--Philip Mirvis, Senior Research Fellow, Center for Corporate Citizenship, Boston College and coauthor of Beyond Good Company

"For years, Richard Hackman's Leading Teams has been well known in the intelligence community. Now, with Collaborative Intelligence, he has taken an important next step. In the 21st century, the information professions, not just the intelligence profession, enter a whole new level of team sport. Professor Hackman has provided an important guide to team creation, leadership, and survival in that activity."
--William Nolte, Research Professor, University of Maryland School of Public Policy, and director of the Program for Intelligence Research and Education

"Teams are an important part of the intelligence community, but this is one area that is woefully underesearched. I believe Richard is breaking new ground with this work."
--Robert Herd, former Program Manager, Central Intelligence Agency

"If you create or serve on teams--and who doesn't?--this is a vital book. It can serve as a blueprint for either business or intelligence community reform because it delves into crucial organizational soft wiring--what makes teams and people tick--rather than tired, ineffective hardwired solutions such as new organizational design, revamped policies, and yet another oversight committee."
--Mike Mears, former Chief of Human Capital, Central Intelligence Agency

"Collaborative Intelligence will be of great value to the intelligence community and to executives, managers, and the reading public interested in how to create outstanding teams. It serves both as a very smart, accessible, and practical guide and as a superb introduction to the underlying scholarly research."
--Lynn Eden, Senior Research Scholar and Associate Director for Research, Center for International Security and Cooperation, Stanford University

Intelligence professionals are commonly viewed as solo operators. But these days intelligence work is mostly about collaboration. Interdisciplinary and even inter-organizational teams are necessary to solve the really hard problems intelligence professionals face. But the potential is often wasted when these teams devolve into wheel-spinning, contentious assemblies that get nothing done. Or members may disengage from a team if they find its work frustrating, trivial, or a waste of their time. Even teams with a spirit of camaraderie may take actions that are flat-out wrong.

But there is also good news. This book draws on recent research findings as well as Harvard Professor Richard Hackman’s own experience as an intelligence community researcher and advisor to show how leaders can create an environment where teamwork flourishes. Hackman identifies six conditions – such as establishing clear norms of conduct and providing well-timed team coaching – that need to be in place for a team to perform superbly. Although written explicitly for intelligence, defense, crisis management, and law enforcement professionals, this book is valuable for improving team success in all kinds of teams in business, government, and nonprofit enterprises.