The secret of humanity’s prolific success is down to our ability to communicate and combine our phenomenal capacity to think. When you have a group of people together, you’ve got access to more computing power than humans have ever built!

Groups are generally far better at solving complex problems than individuals because the range of experience, knowledge, perspectives and values stimulates the imagination, generating a much greater variety of potential solutions. In groups, people are more likely to explore seemingly unrealistic ideas and to challenge accepted ways of doing things. This challenge can be incredibly helpful to overcome personal biases that may be standing between an individual and the progress they want to make.

As well as making individuals more willing to take creative risks, groups with a shared purpose also offer a more realistic and balanced view of the risks associated with proposed actions. So all in, we have an exceptional talent for effective problem solving when we work together well. The devil’s in the detail though, and that little phrase ‘when we work together well’ is easy to say, and not always easy to do – especially with all that individual creativity whizzing around. The twin keys to our group superpowers are shared purpose and diversity.

We gather around shared purposes all the time at home and in work, but as ‘like attracts like’, it takes a bit of active effort to bring together the kind of diversity which lets us perform at our very best. This basic principle of creative learning is summarised beautifully by the African proverb‘it takes a village to raise a child’, and is one of the key ideas behind the work of Happy City. That’s why our HQ is run as ‘where good people make good stuff happen’.

One of the delights of working with Happy City is that we get to hear a lot about the incredible number of people doing ‘good stuff’, and one of the constant themes is the question of how to do good whilst doing well. So we’ve decided to run an event to tap our superpowers in a focussed group that will explore how we can help each other rise to this challenge. We’re using a brilliant facilitation technique called Open Space that creates ideal conditions for creative exchanges whilst allowing every participant to control their own personal agenda. The event is on 13th November 2013 at the Crofters Rights from 1-5pm. Tickets cost £14 on the door or £10 in advance. To book your place, mail mike@happycity.org.uk and we’ll send you full details.