Completely rational and smart people can form an irrational group. Since you have a network of people, they could form such a group, that everyone's individual

Completely rational and smart people can form an irrational group. Since you have a network of people, they could form such a group, that everyone's individual talents are cancelled out. This is why, I don't believe in complete democracy at work. There has to be a clear leader, who is not afraid to make decisions, to see them through, also is accepted by others to make decisions (in most cases at least), and is someone, who finishes stuff. Last week I read a great way to assemble such a group (at least it sounds like a good way to me). In the book '33 Strategies of War', there was a chapter on how George Marshall, an American military leader trained young proteges, and picked the ones, who were the most like him. After putting these young people to test, he gave them key roles and placed them in key positions. He, then encouraged them to also train their own subordinates. Basically he 'cloned' himself, and then showed his 'clones', how to 'clone' themselves too. Thus he was able to create a new, more efficient group of leaders, without confronting leader with large egos.