Why Being Diverse Helps Us Learn More
The significant impact of diversity must first be understood. It may not be simple. In the United States, for instance, where the discussion around inclusion is comparatively more developed, even saying the word 'diversity' can provoke tension and controversies. Among the justices of the Supreme Court, there is no identical opinion concerning the merits or the best way of achieving diversity. Immense sums of money are utilised to lure and manage diversity inside and outside organisations. However, there are still many lawsuits for discrimination, and the top management of the business world is still very white male-dominated.
One may question what good is a diverse checklist. The specialists help avail geographical diversity, but why not have social diversity? What benefits are racial, ethnic, gender, and sexual orientation diversity? Empirical research has found negative outcomes associated with social diversity in a group, including discomfort, rougher interactions, lack of trust, greater perceived interpersonal conflict, lower communication, less cohesiveness, more worries about disrespect, and other adverse consequences. Well, where is the trick then?
Diversity enhances imagination. One has to try to learn more and perceive new ways of action and decision-making. It benefits an organisation's performance by yielding unencumbered discoveries and radical innovations. Most people can change their outlook through experience. Specialists who dealt with organisational science, psychology, sociology, economics, demography, and several other fields reached this conclusion after decades of research.
Innovation is inherent in information diversity. It says that informational diversity is one of the core concepts involved in diversity. In such situations, people engage in social networks of knowledge and resources and try to combine ideas to solve a problem.
With the differences in their specific fields, this is more or less straightforward- look at the example of an interdisciplinary team constructing a car once more. Also, this assumption stands for social diversity. People who differ in ways, including race, sex, or otherwise, will approach the work from their point of experience, which is positive. It's not uncommon for a woman engineer and a man engineer to have the mindset of an engineer and that of a physicist.
“We need diversity if we are to change, grow, and innovate”
This essay was first published in Scientific American in 2014. Katherine Phillips revised and updated it in 2017 to include new research.