In terms of individual traits, intelligence of group members is not strongly correlated with group performance. Average social perceptiveness of group members, however, is. Social perceptiveness refers to a person’s ability to discern the emotions of those around them, and groups with members who are high on social perceptiveness tend to have a greater collective intelligence. 

Social perceptiveness

The cognitive diversity of group members, which refers to differences in thought process and ideas, is also an important factor for performance. A moderately cognitively diverse group has higher CI than both a low diversity group and a high diversity group. This suggests that too much similarity between group members impedes performance as there is a lack of different perspectives and skills, but too much diversity also impedes performance as group members struggle to communicate and coordinate effectively. A moderate level of cognitive diversity is therefore best for increasing collective intelligence. Overall, individual traits and skills that enhance the group’s ability to collaborate or bring an appropriate amount of new perspectives promote collective intelligence.

Cognitive diversity

Individual intelligence can be seen as a predictor of an individual's ability to complete solo tasks. It was found to not have a significant influence or be a significant predictor of a group's Collective Intelligence. A group consisting of smart people can have a high level of Collective Intelligence but it is believed that there are other factors at play.  Those other factors like social perceptiveness are seen as stronger predictors of a groups level of Collective Intelligence. 

Individual intelligence influence on Collective Intelligence 

Bottom-up processes are the sum of individual group member characteristics that contribute to collaboration.

Albion College

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Scholars are interested in how collective intelligence can influence a group's performance. They are also interested in whether collective intelligence can be used to predict group performance. 

Collective Intelligence's influence on group performance 

Woolley, A. W., Aggarwal, I., & Malone, T. W. (2015). Collective Intelligence and Group Performance. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 24(6), 420–424. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721415599543

Collective Intelligence and Group Performance

In this study, collective intelligence is defined as a specific group’s ability to perform well across a range of different tasks. Overall cognitive diversity, group interaction, communication, and individual skills, like social perceptiveness, can be seen to influence Collective Intelligence. The collective intelligence of a group is a significant predictor of its performance on these tasks, while the average individual intelligence of group members is, surprisingly, not. Overall, collective intelligence is thought to emerge from both bottom-up and top-down processes. These processes can either be beneficial or detrimental to group performance.  

Collective Intelligence's predictability on Group Performance

Bottom-up processes in groups

Top-down processes involve group structures, norms, and routines that guide collective behavior. 

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