The representation capability

The representation capability

Individuals’ understanding of a complex reality

Individuals have different sets of knowledge as well as different perspectives of a specific situation. When solving a task, the challenge is therefore to combine these perspectives without losing orientation. Too much complexity can make a situation unmanageable and chaotic. This can in turn lead to endless analyses and, at the worst, to a team incapable to act. A team’s representation capability can be described as the ability to complete the task with as many different aspects, knowledge sets and perspectives as possible, while maintaining visibility and manageability. A team with a strong representation capability shares the same representation, i.e. there is an agreement and common understanding of the task. We can summarize this into two basic challenges: 1) to establish a representation which is as close to the complex reality as possible and 2) to create sufficient and continuous conformity in the understanding of the task, i.e. shared representation. However, representation, or the quality of it, is not a constant phenomenon. A team’s representation is rather an ongoing proces s in which the individuals of the team continuously and jointly recreate their understanding of the situation. The degree of attention and care to this process can vary among individuals and teams. Representation Since our reality is infinitely complex, we argue that people’s ability to cope with this complexity will increase in line with our ability to reflect it, or in other words – with our representation. A person’s representation will never be complete, but the more complex image of the reality a person can manage to uphold, the more options and choices he or she has. However, the complexity can also be overwhelming and become paralyzing. Too many parameters and different perspectives will make us reach the limits of our brain capacity. This means that intelligence is reached somewhere in between these states. One can argue that intelligence is about being able to handle as much of the underlying complexity as much as possible, but still being able to act.

A team’s representation – the sum of the team members’ representations

A team’s representation can be described as the sum of the team members’ representations, the cumulated understanding of the situation they are in. Thus, as a group phenomenon, team representation includes two factors that explain how it relates to collective intelligence. First, the individual’s ability to handle the complexity described above. And second, the degree to which the individuals’ representations overlap. Here, overlap does not necessarily mean that all the team members agree, but rather that there is an ability to transfer knowledge when it is needed, which in turn can create consensus or a common understanding in the team. Another important aspect for a team’s shared representation is its degree of clarity. An unclear representation usually makes team members feel insecure, which in turn increases their risk to act defensively. When team members feel insecure, they tend to focus more on formalizing the problem situation to mitigate the perceived risk of “doing something wrong”. The team is more oriented towards avoiding doing wrong rather than trying to do right, which steals time and focus from the task as well as it discourages learning.

How do teams achieve a shared representation?

1. Incorporate continuous discussions regarding your goal and your work process throughout a project.
2. Always formulate a purpose and specific goals of a project.
3. Always dare to talk about the problem setting and not only the problem solving.
4. Distribute 80% of your time to identify and formulate the problem.

Author

Influence Labs

CI Model Research

Developing Collective Intelligence is an approach to share and integrate knowledge using self-navigation and reflection to achieve commonly defined goals.