Wisdom of Crowds

Wisdom of Crowds

Wisdom of Crowds

Wisdom of Crowds is the principle that a diverse group of people, when operating independently, can collectively make better decisions than any individual, even an expert.


This happens when different perspectives, levels of expertise, and roles contribute unique context that balances out bias, blind spots, and overconfidence. Accuracy improves when input is independent, informed, and varied.

HOW IT SHOWS UP

Strategy


  • Making go-to-market plans without involving sales, support, or operations

  • Relying on executives to define all priorities while ignoring internal blockers

  • Building growth strategies without input from front-line teams or customers


Product


  • Collecting feedback only from senior stakeholders while ignoring power users or ICs

  • Relying on a single product lead’s judgment without surfacing themes from user data

  • Disregarding front-line feedback in favor of “visionary” roadmaps



Design


  • Design critiques dominated by loud voices instead of a mix of perspectives

  • Skipping research sessions because “we already know what the problem is”

  • Prioritizing polish over usability due to homogeneous internal opinions



Leadership


  • Making policy or structural changes without anonymous feedback channels

  • Ignoring low-level frustrations that signal systemic inefficiencies

  • Assuming silence means alignment or support


Strategy


  • Making go-to-market plans without involving sales, support, or operations

  • Relying on executives to define all priorities while ignoring internal blockers

  • Building growth strategies without input from front-line teams or customers


Product


  • Collecting feedback only from senior stakeholders while ignoring power users or ICs

  • Relying on a single product lead’s judgment without surfacing themes from user data

  • Disregarding front-line feedback in favor of “visionary” roadmaps



Design


  • Design critiques dominated by loud voices instead of a mix of perspectives

  • Skipping research sessions because “we already know what the problem is”

  • Prioritizing polish over usability due to homogeneous internal opinions



Leadership


  • Making policy or structural changes without anonymous feedback channels

  • Ignoring low-level frustrations that signal systemic inefficiencies

  • Assuming silence means alignment or support


Strategy


  • Making go-to-market plans without involving sales, support, or operations

  • Relying on executives to define all priorities while ignoring internal blockers

  • Building growth strategies without input from front-line teams or customers


Product


  • Collecting feedback only from senior stakeholders while ignoring power users or ICs

  • Relying on a single product lead’s judgment without surfacing themes from user data

  • Disregarding front-line feedback in favor of “visionary” roadmaps



Design


  • Design critiques dominated by loud voices instead of a mix of perspectives

  • Skipping research sessions because “we already know what the problem is”

  • Prioritizing polish over usability due to homogeneous internal opinions



Leadership


  • Making policy or structural changes without anonymous feedback channels

  • Ignoring low-level frustrations that signal systemic inefficiencies

  • Assuming silence means alignment or support


Strategy


  • Making go-to-market plans without involving sales, support, or operations

  • Relying on executives to define all priorities while ignoring internal blockers

  • Building growth strategies without input from front-line teams or customers


Product


  • Collecting feedback only from senior stakeholders while ignoring power users or ICs

  • Relying on a single product lead’s judgment without surfacing themes from user data

  • Disregarding front-line feedback in favor of “visionary” roadmaps



Design


  • Design critiques dominated by loud voices instead of a mix of perspectives

  • Skipping research sessions because “we already know what the problem is”

  • Prioritizing polish over usability due to homogeneous internal opinions



Leadership


  • Making policy or structural changes without anonymous feedback channels

  • Ignoring low-level frustrations that signal systemic inefficiencies

  • Assuming silence means alignment or support


WHEN TO USE THIS MODEL

Sprint Planning

Useful when prioritizing work across multiple functions. Broader participation reveals constraints, risks, or dependencies you might miss otherwise.


Retrospectives

Especially valuable when diagnosing team performance. The people closest to the work will often see bottlenecks leadership overlooks.


Team Health Reviews

Apply this when reviewing organizational effectiveness. Junior voices may reveal day-to-day realities senior leadership no longer sees.


Strategic Forecasting

Use this model when exploring new markets or assessing risk. A broad range of perspectives generates more accurate probabilistic inputs.


HOW TO APPLY IT

Diversify Input

Include multiple functions, roles, and seniority levels when gathering feedback or insight. This isn’t about consensus. It’s about range.


Ensure Independence

Prevent groupthink by giving people space to form opinions before sharing. Collect input anonymously when necessary.


Synthesize, Don't Average

This model isn’t about “democratic” decisions. It’s about surfacing signal from noise. Identify strong themes across different inputs.


Balance Seniority with Proximity

Include ICs who work closest to the product. Senior stakeholders often have valuable context but less visibility into the daily reality.



Diversify Input

Include multiple functions, roles, and seniority levels when gathering feedback or insight. This isn’t about consensus. It’s about range.


Ensure Independence

Prevent groupthink by giving people space to form opinions before sharing. Collect input anonymously when necessary.


Synthesize, Don't Average

This model isn’t about “democratic” decisions. It’s about surfacing signal from noise. Identify strong themes across different inputs.


Balance Seniority with Proximity

Include ICs who work closest to the product. Senior stakeholders often have valuable context but less visibility into the daily reality.



Diversify Input

Include multiple functions, roles, and seniority levels when gathering feedback or insight. This isn’t about consensus. It’s about range.


Ensure Independence

Prevent groupthink by giving people space to form opinions before sharing. Collect input anonymously when necessary.


Synthesize, Don't Average

This model isn’t about “democratic” decisions. It’s about surfacing signal from noise. Identify strong themes across different inputs.


Balance Seniority with Proximity

Include ICs who work closest to the product. Senior stakeholders often have valuable context but less visibility into the daily reality.



Diversify Input

Include multiple functions, roles, and seniority levels when gathering feedback or insight. This isn’t about consensus. It’s about range.


Ensure Independence

Prevent groupthink by giving people space to form opinions before sharing. Collect input anonymously when necessary.


Synthesize, Don't Average

This model isn’t about “democratic” decisions. It’s about surfacing signal from noise. Identify strong themes across different inputs.


Balance Seniority with Proximity

Include ICs who work closest to the product. Senior stakeholders often have valuable context but less visibility into the daily reality.



More Mental Models

More Mental Models

More Mental Models

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