This document discusses diversity and inclusion in teams and problem solving. It notes that diversity, including differences in knowledge, perspectives, and cognitive styles, can increase variability in team performance but on average improves outcomes. When differences are respected and included, groups benefit from combining diverse ideas and skills; but "diversity" alone is not enough without inclusion to realize these benefits. The document provides examples and evidence on how diversity of thoughts and approaches enhances group intelligence and problem solving abilities.

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4. kumbaya damnit!

6. What looks like
resistance is
often a lack of
clarity.
-Switch, Dan and Chip Heath

7. diversity…

8. diversity…
difference

9. di·ver·si·ty
[dih-vur-si-tee]
noun, plural –ties
1.the state or fact of being
diverse; difference;
unlikeness.
2.variety; multiformity.
3.a point of difference.

10. diversity…
difference
relational

12. diversity…
difference
relational
takes
many forms

14. identity diversity:
Differences in our social
identities.
cognitive diversity:
Differences in how we think and
solve problems.

15. diversity…
difference
relational
takes
many forms
disruptive

16. ↑diversity =

17. ↑diversity =

18. ↑diversity =
↑variance in performance
groups with more diversity
perform better or worse
than groups with less
diversity

19. difference makes a difference…
• “we vs. they” mentality
• stereotyping
• in-group favoritism
• inter-group conflict
• satisfaction, performance,
turnover all get worse

21. Group intelligence is
not strongly tied to
either the average
intelligence of the
members or the team’s
smartest member.
-Thomas Malone, MIT Center for Collective
Intelligence

22. MBA
Harvard University
100 people

23. team #1
MBA
Harvard University
100 people

24. team #1
MBA
Harvard University
100 people
team #2

25. team #1
MBA
Harvard University
100 people
team #2

26. team #1
friends
with
cognitive
benefits MBA
Harvard University
100 people
team #2

28. Crowd Error = Average Error - Diversity
collective ability is
equal parts individual
ability and collective
difference

29. These theorems that when
solving problems, diversity can
trump ability and that when
making predictions diversity
matters just as much as ability
are not political statements.
They are mathematical
truths.
-Scott Page

32. recombine
&
synthesize

34. 1+1=3

35. The extent to which the
group reflects differences
in knowledge, including
beliefs, preferences and
perspectives.
-Miller, et al (1998) Strategic Management Journal
cognitive diversity

36. perspectives
Perspectives are ways of
representing situations and
problems, how we organize
knowledge.

38. Without lifting your pencil
from the paper, draw
exactly four straight,
connected lines that will go
through all nine dots, but
through each dot only
once.

43. who
financial strategic
tactical people

44. who
earnings diversity
market share human capital

45. who
get lost get funding
get insurance get lucky

46. heuristic
techniques for problem solving,
learning, and discovery; heuristic
methods are used to speed up
the process of finding a
satisfactory solution; mental
short cuts to ease the cognitive
load of making a decision.

47. please add these numbers…

48. please add these numbers…
1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 + 8 + 9 + 10 =

49. please add these numbers…
1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 + 8 + 9 + 10 =
55

50. please add these numbers…
1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 + 8 + 9 + 10 =
55
…but how did you do it?

51. Given enough
eyeballs, all bugs are
shallow.
Eric Raymond, The Cathedral and the Bazaar
more formally: Given a large enough beta-
tester and co-developer base, almost every
problem will be characterized quickly and
the fix will be obvious to someone

56. inclusion:
The actions that we take
to include additional
difference in a process or
group.

57. Inclusion is activist…
If you do not
intentionally and
deliberately
include, you will
unintentionally
exclude. No
hatred required.

58. Homophily is the tendency of
individuals to associate
and bond with similar others.
The presence of homophily has
been discovered in a vast array
of studies. Similarity breeds
connection, social exchange
and even trust.

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