The terms “swarm” and “swarm behavior” are usually associated with images of large swarms of flying birds, grasshoppers or bees, but also images of schools of fish as well as ants and termites in front of their burrows. Mammals such as deer, wildebeest, zebras, gazelles or reindeer, which also organize themselves in large groups, are referred to as herds, while predators such as wolves and hyenas are referred to as packs. What they all have in common is the fact that these animals act collectively as a swarm or group in order to achieve a common goal. And that they can manage highly complex tasks like a “super-organism” – often without any individual planning or central control. A swarm functions in a similar way to a sensor system. Each animal in this system receives information and processes it independently of its conspecifics, but at the same time orients itself to the animals in its environment.
However, flocking behavior is not only found in nature, but also among us humans. Images from soccer stadiums, open-air concerts, carnivals, demonstrations or queues in front of famous sights are often strongly reminiscent of images of large swarms or herds in nature. Accordingly, the term “swarm intelligence”, which originally comes from biology, is not only used for the behavior of swarms and herds in the animal kingdom. Under the synonyms “group intelligence” or “collective intelligence”, it is also increasingly being used with reference to us humans in corporate strategies, innovation management, digital transformation and start-ups. As social beings, humans also benefit greatly from swarm intelligence. Not least because of their ability to cooperate in large, well-organized groups, they have been evolutionarily successful. This is also reflected in sayings such as “Together we are strong”. Further details can be found in the method description “Added value swarm intelligence”.
The group exercise “Swarm behavior” is suitable as a transfer exercise for seminars and workshops on the topics of leadership, participation, identification and information. At the beginning of the exercise, the topic of “swarm behavior” is explained and discussed using specific predator-prey examples from nature. This is followed by an exercise in which the group implements predefined swarming rules and experiences how to act in a swarm. After the exercise, the participants discuss their own swarming behavior, reflect on their interaction, analyze the practiced swarming rules and become aware of the possibilities and limitations of a swarm.
The concluding transfer discussion deals with the relevance of the swarm knowledge gained from the exercise in everyday life and the possibilities of transferring it to professional practice and personal everyday life. The problem areas of “swarm stupidity”, “swarm ignorance” and “peer pressure” should not be ignored, but actively addressed and discussed. In the end, the aim is to identify the necessary measures to be able to tap into the optimization potential inherent in swarm behaviour for one’s own organization.
The sustainability relevance of this exercise lies above all in the realization that a swarm is successful when it uses and allows individuality, collaboration and diversity in equal measure for the benefit of the collective, while at the same time practicing prudence, caution and consideration. These characteristics of a successful swarm strategy can also be seen as the cornerstones of a framework for action for sustainability concepts.