Harnessing Collective Genius: How Brainwriting Saved 33 Lives Underground

Thinking about it still gives me weird vibes.?

I remember being in China for an ESL trip and having a student-led field trip with our team. We went up a mountain and hiked into an underground tunnel carved out of the rock. It was dark and damp, and I was hunched over. I vividly recall feeling a bit nervous and uneasy at the thought of becoming trapped. What if we got stuck? What if the roof caved in? Spoiler alert: We all passed safely through to the other end of the tunnel, and none the worse for the experience.

But I’m not sure I would do it again.?

What Would You Do if You Were Trapped Underground?

In 2010, a very sobering underground crisis occurred when a cave-in occurred at the San Jose′ copper-gold mine in Chilé. Imagine being trapped almost half a mile underground with no way of escape or means of communication. Thirty-three miners were cut off from the outside world, huddled together in a carved-out hall. Where would you begin with a strategy if you were leading that rescue effort?

André Sougarret, a mining engineer in Chilé, was brought in to create a plan of escape. If I were in his shoes, I would have most likely begun by gathering a group of mining experts and brainstorming ourselves into a solution. Right? That is the “tried and true” method we have used since our careers began.

Flipping Brainstorming On Its Head

The problem with brainstorming is that it has limiting factors. In his intriguing book Hidden Potential, Adam Grant lays out what we all inherently know: “In brainstorm meetings, it’s too easy for participation to become lopsided in favor of the biggest egos, the loudest voices, and the most powerful people.” That insight makes so much sense to me, but I never had any alternatives to the brainstorming strategy.?

Sougarret had a better idea: he quickly solicited rescue ideas via their mining website, establishing a global brainwriting system to crowd-source proposals to get the miners safely back to their families. Ideas flooded in from groups such as NASA, UPS, the Chilean Navy, as well as American military drilling experts stationed in Afghanistan.?

Proposed ideas were then ranked on feasibility, and the most promising ones had their teams interviewed.?

How to Make Sure All Voices Are Heard and Valued

If you’re like me, the term “brainwriting” initially raised an eyebrow because I was not familiar with the word. But the more I read, the more it seemed a superior process. Here is how it works: 1) A problem or question is posed to a group; 2) each person generates ideas or solutions on their own, with 3) all ideas being shared anonymously with the entire group; 4) each person evaluates ideas on their own to preserve their independent judgment; and then 5) the team comes back together to select and refine the best of the ideas.?

“The brainwriting process,” says Grant, “makes sure that all ideas are brought to the table and all voices are brought into the conversation.” And why does this work? Because “collective intelligence begins with individual creativity.” By working alone, individuals come up with many more great ideas — but they also come up with many more terrible ideas. But Grant retorts that “it takes collective judgment to find the signal in the noise.”

“Find the signal in the noise” — that is a powerful statement.?

Conclusion

Sougarret and his team did end up rescuing the miners. They had two independent drills operating simultaneously to execute two different plans. And though they could get small amounts of food and water down to the minors through a 3.5” drilled shaft, it was not a quick rescue process. On October 13, 2010, all 33 workers were rescued after being trapped for 69 days nearly a half-mile underground.?

We will probably not be asked to solve any problems as complex as this mining accident, but we will still be solicited to come up with solutions or answers to questions. This story teaches us an invaluable lesson: that sometimes, the most effective solutions emerge from unconventional approaches. Brainwriting just might be that unconventional approach to help us tackle the challenges around us more effectively.?