Best Practices for a 'Creative Intelligence' Alliance

It is worth stating once again that potential members should be free to attend one meeting with no expectations or obligation to join. Every Alliance will develop its own personality separate from those of the members. Each member of a CI Alliance has to feel that the group is a 'fit' with their goals and ideals, and it should not be taken as a personal slight if a visitor decides that the group is not a match for them.

Specific tips for running a 'Creative Intelligence' Alliance

• Understand that trust is the foundation on which a successful CI Alliance is built. Give the group a reasonable amount of time to build the trust that is required to feel free to share ideas and open up to each other. In the trust building phase, it may be useful to work through a book that has specific exercises to help members get to know each other. You can find some suggested books in our bookstore in the 'Creative Intelligence' Alliance section.
• Only bring in members who will contribute positively to the group. There is no point in adding new members for the sake of having seats filled. A Creative Intelligence Alliance is about quality, not quantity.
• Be sure to include a variety of opinions, perspectives, and cultures (be they corporate cultures or ethnicities).
• New members should only be added to a group with the approval of all existing members.
• Establish a mailing list for the group - one address to send information to all current members.
• Periodically evaluate whether the group is working for the individual members, and whether the established "format" should be altered or if it needs to get back on track with the original stated goals.
• Brainstorming and collaborating is not about being "right". Members who feel they have all the answers all the time are detrimental to the group. Other problematic personality types: "attention hogs", those who take the personal information and share with people outside the group, and the otherwise thoughtless.
• If an individual member is not working out for any reason, the rest of the group has to be prepared to ask them to leave. If the member is allowed to continue in the Alliance, it may damage the interaction to the point where the group will cease to function.
• Resolve conflicts immediately. Do not let hard feelings fester and destroy the trust underlying your 'Creative Intelligence' Alliance.