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HOW THE
WISDOM OF CROWDS
HELPED THE US NAVY
FIND A LOST
NUCLEAR SUBMARINE
It was May 27, 1968,
Ninety-nine men went missing aboard
the USS Scorpion (SSN-589),
a 3,500-ton nuclear attack submarine.
The ship was due back in Norfolk,
Virginia, but was nowhere to be found.
THE NAVY ONLY HAD
A VAGUE IDEA OF
WHERE TO SEARCH
THIS HUGE AREA
BUT ONE MAN HAD
A STRANGE IDEA
JOHN P. CRAVEN
Chief Scientist of the Special Projects
#1
#2
#3
TO CALCULATE THE
SCORPION’S LOCATION
FIRST, CRAVEN IMAGINED
SCENARIOS
OF POSSIBLE CAUSES
THEN, HE ASSEMBLED
A TEAM OF
DIVERSE EXPERTS
MATHEMATICIANS
SUBMARINE EXPERTS
SALVAGE MEN
At which speed did the Scorpion
glide down to the ocean floor ?
60 knots
30 knots
SPEED
How likely is it a
torpedo accident ?
TORPEDO
100%
certain
0%
certain
GLIDE PATH
13 km
10 km
How far could the Scorpion
glide until impact ?
HE BROKE DOWN THE PROBLEM
AND ASKED EACH EXPERT
SOME TECHNICAL QUESTIONS
EXPERTS WAGERED
BOTTLES OF CHIVAS
REGAL WHISKY
TO KEEP THINGS
“INTERESTING”
BETTING REAL OR FAKE MONEY, OR
RISKING YOUR REPUTATION,
HELPS ELLICIT HONEST RESPONSES
HE THEN COMBINED THESE
INDEPENDENT ESTIMATES
INTO ONE MOST
PLAUSIBLE POSITION
THE SCORPION’S WRECKAGE
WAS FOUND
ONLY 200 METERS FROM THIS
AGGREGATE GUESS
JUST LIKE CRAVEN,
YOU CAN USE THE
WISDOM OF CROWDS
BY APPLYING
3 PRINCIPLES TO
YOUR TEAMS
INDEPENDENCE OF THOUGHT
IS VITAL FOR ACCURACY
BECAUSE IT PRESERVES
COGNITIVE DIVERSITY*
* different ways of seeing the world and
different problem-solving approaches
DIVERSITY
OF OPINIONS
INDEPENDENCE
OF THOUGHT
3 CONDITIONS FOR
SMART GROUPS
AGGREGATION
METHOD
BOOST YOUR OWN
INTELLIGENCE
BY USING THE BRAINS
AROUND YOU
Seek opinions from people you
know think differently
Provide incentives to think
independently
Do not seek consensus at all costs,
be comfortable with disagreement
“The enemy of intelligence is
conformity, not the group itself”
Emile Servan-Schreiber
Hypermind Director
3 WAYS TO COMBINE
OPINIONS
WEIGHTED AVERAGE
MAJORITY VOTE
BETTING
AGGREGATION
LOOKING FOR YOUR
OWN SUBMARINE ?
OUR TECHNOLOGY
CAN HELP
SOME QUESTIONS ARE TOO
COMPLEX FOR JUST ONE PERSON
STORM
Uncover and prioritize your
team’s most promising ideas.
PRESCIENCE
Get accurate predictions,
make smarter decisions.
Our crowd forecasting platform
turns the crowd’s wisdom
into hard probabilities.
How the Wisdom of Crowds helped find a nuclear submarine - case study in collective intelligence

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How the Wisdom of Crowds helped find a nuclear submarine - case study in collective intelligence

  • 1. HOW THE WISDOM OF CROWDS HELPED THE US NAVY FIND A LOST NUCLEAR SUBMARINE
  • 2. It was May 27, 1968, Ninety-nine men went missing aboard the USS Scorpion (SSN-589), a 3,500-ton nuclear attack submarine. The ship was due back in Norfolk, Virginia, but was nowhere to be found.
  • 3. THE NAVY ONLY HAD A VAGUE IDEA OF WHERE TO SEARCH THIS HUGE AREA
  • 4. BUT ONE MAN HAD A STRANGE IDEA JOHN P. CRAVEN Chief Scientist of the Special Projects
  • 5. #1 #2 #3 TO CALCULATE THE SCORPION’S LOCATION FIRST, CRAVEN IMAGINED SCENARIOS OF POSSIBLE CAUSES
  • 6. THEN, HE ASSEMBLED A TEAM OF DIVERSE EXPERTS MATHEMATICIANS SUBMARINE EXPERTS SALVAGE MEN
  • 7. At which speed did the Scorpion glide down to the ocean floor ? 60 knots 30 knots SPEED How likely is it a torpedo accident ? TORPEDO 100% certain 0% certain GLIDE PATH 13 km 10 km How far could the Scorpion glide until impact ? HE BROKE DOWN THE PROBLEM AND ASKED EACH EXPERT SOME TECHNICAL QUESTIONS
  • 8. EXPERTS WAGERED BOTTLES OF CHIVAS REGAL WHISKY TO KEEP THINGS “INTERESTING” BETTING REAL OR FAKE MONEY, OR RISKING YOUR REPUTATION, HELPS ELLICIT HONEST RESPONSES
  • 9. HE THEN COMBINED THESE INDEPENDENT ESTIMATES INTO ONE MOST PLAUSIBLE POSITION
  • 10. THE SCORPION’S WRECKAGE WAS FOUND ONLY 200 METERS FROM THIS AGGREGATE GUESS
  • 11. JUST LIKE CRAVEN, YOU CAN USE THE WISDOM OF CROWDS BY APPLYING 3 PRINCIPLES TO YOUR TEAMS
  • 12. INDEPENDENCE OF THOUGHT IS VITAL FOR ACCURACY BECAUSE IT PRESERVES COGNITIVE DIVERSITY* * different ways of seeing the world and different problem-solving approaches
  • 13. DIVERSITY OF OPINIONS INDEPENDENCE OF THOUGHT 3 CONDITIONS FOR SMART GROUPS AGGREGATION METHOD
  • 14. BOOST YOUR OWN INTELLIGENCE BY USING THE BRAINS AROUND YOU Seek opinions from people you know think differently Provide incentives to think independently Do not seek consensus at all costs, be comfortable with disagreement “The enemy of intelligence is conformity, not the group itself” Emile Servan-Schreiber Hypermind Director
  • 15. 3 WAYS TO COMBINE OPINIONS WEIGHTED AVERAGE MAJORITY VOTE BETTING AGGREGATION
  • 16. LOOKING FOR YOUR OWN SUBMARINE ? OUR TECHNOLOGY CAN HELP SOME QUESTIONS ARE TOO COMPLEX FOR JUST ONE PERSON
  • 17. STORM Uncover and prioritize your team’s most promising ideas.
  • 18. PRESCIENCE Get accurate predictions, make smarter decisions. Our crowd forecasting platform turns the crowd’s wisdom into hard probabilities.