One of the key aspects of Agile, I think, is perspectives, or views. Or that is basically the key aspect of any team. Knowledge, ideas, thoughts and beliefs, need to be visible to all and be applied or challenged. This have to be done in a “safe environment” where it is okey to be questioned, and where we can learn from each other, and teach each other. This is where the collective mind comes in to play, where all knowledge is merged and we get a better whole. We might even get emergence, that is something new.
Just a quick anecdote to make this a bit more clear. I ate dinner with my two sons, 9 and 7 years old. We started talking about what kind of games they liked to play with their friends. My 9 year old stated that he only liked to play games that he really wanted to at the time, he had a hard time to play other games, and he and his friends could never agree on what game to play. My 7 year old, on the other hand, had another perspective, he said that he could play other games, and that he happily discussed with his friends what other type of games they could play.
I then asked them: “Ok, so when you gather some friends who want to play different games, what might happen?”. My 7 year old replied: “Then we might invent a new game!”. Which is quite right. What happens when we gather a bunch of friends or colleagues, and have a dialogue of some task, or event? As long as we are adaptable and susceptible to learn something new, we may actually be able to create something new. This is what emergence is really about. Perspectives, learning, and adapting.