I was in a meeting last week and someone mentioned this book, The Wisdom Of Crowds – Why The Many Are Smarter Than The Few And How Collective Wisdom Shapes Business, Economies, Societies And Nations, By James Surowiecki. The person continued saying that this book is actually well-read throughout the growing Google empire as a founding ideology for how they build their search systems and offerings.
Intrigued I ordered it through Amazon.com. It arrived today. I took a quick look and the first testimonial on the back cover is from Malcolm Gladwell (The Tipping Point, Blink). It reads: “The Wisdom Of Crowds is dazzling. It is one of those books that will turn your world upside down. It’s an adventure story, a manifesto, and the most brilliant book on business, society, and everyday life that I’ve read in years.”
That’s a wow.
I hope Gladwell is sincere and not just saying that because Surowiecki is also a New York-based journalist who’s done words for The New Yorker.
I’m planning on devouring it over the next couple of days. Look for it in an upcoming Montreal Business Book Club session.