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Deans ad two thirds:Deans ad two thirds 11/28/06 11:15 AM Page 1 Beat the Odds for Global Success. research question is: How can people and computers be connected so that, collectively, they act more intelligent- ly than any individuals, groups, or computers have ever done before?" Wikipedia, the popular online user-written and user-revised ency- clopedia, is an especially interesting phenomenon and target of study, says Malone. "Today's publishing industry is built on the assumption that books are written by a single author, or at most, by a few people," he says. "But Wikipedia shows that very different approaches may be possible. What if, for instance, cer- tain kinds of books could be written by large numbers of people with very little central direction?" CCI has planned just such an experiment, called "We Are Smarter Than Me," conducted jointly with the SEI Center for Advanced Stud- ies in Management at the Wharton School at the University of Penn- sylvania and Pearson Publishing. Researchers want to see what hap- pens when thousands of people come online to write a book collectively— Wikipedia-style. They sent invitations to more than a million business pro- fessionals and academics to register at the Web site www.WeAreSmarter.org. More than 1,000 people have already registered to begin the collective writing experiment. "CCI is trying to look over the horizon to see what will be com- mon five, ten, or 20 years from now. Google, Wikipedia, Linus, and eBay are examples that show something interesting and important is already happening," says Malone. In the long run, he adds, "this movement toward more decentralized decision-making in business may be as important a change for business as the change to democracies was for governments." ■ z BizEd JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2007 59 Deans Conference February 7– 9, 2007 Las Vegas, Nevada, USA A conference that gives you the edge to maximize your contribution to today's global society. How does a business school "beat the odds" for success in an increasingly competitive, global environment? More than 300 deans will meet in Las Vegas at the famous Caesars Palace to answer this challenging question. At this conference exclusively for deans and business lead- ers, you will be able to network with peers from around the world and discuss the most important issues facing business school leaders today. Register now for AACSB International's annual Deans Conference and stay ahead of the game. For details and to register visit: www.aacsb.edu/conferences