"We love stories of lone geniuses. Narratives of individuals shaping the world hold a special appeal, whether they are scientists, CEOs, performers, or prime ministers. But lone geniuses are more myth than reality. The truth is that groups make the world go round. For instance, who invented the lightbulb? If you said Thomas Edison, you'd be wrong. Incandescent bulbs were invented before Edison was born. Edison built on the work of many others, and he didn't work alone."
"Today, teams dominate the landscape in terms of breakthrough ideas. One study of millions of patents and research papers found that teams were over six times more likely than individuals to produce breakthrough discoveries. So why do we keep telling the wrong story? Our brains are biased. Psychologists call it fundamental attribution error: We over-explain success with personal traits and ignore the context that made it possible."
Groups, not lone individuals, drive most major breakthroughs, with teams producing disproportionately more innovative patents and research findings. Psychological biases, especially the fundamental attribution error, lead people to overcredit individual traits and downplay situational and group contributions. Historical examples such as the development of the lightbulb illustrate collaborative, multi-person innovation rather than solitary genius. Group success depends on both internal dynamics—trust, shared purpose, clear communication—and structural foundations such as membership, task design, and network connections. When internal dynamics and structure align, groups can collaborate effectively and become greater than the sum of their members' efforts.
Read at Fast Company
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