Diversifying thought and respect for the win

David Nikolich

Now that we’re finally back to face-to-face meetings, let me ask you a question. When you arrive at a conference or event, where do you stand? Who do you make small-talk with? Who do you avoid? From personal experience, and I’ve been to many of these events, I generally find my radar guides me towards people just like me. Once it’s guided me to the free coffee and cookies, of course.

There’s an old saying, ‘people who are like each other, tend to like each other.’ But is this helpful when it comes to business?

Surrounding ourselves with similar people, from similar backgrounds, with similar thought patterns, might initially feel comfortable and free of unnecessary challenge, but is that necessarily a good thing? After all, it’s a great way to build a sound-proofed echo chamber. And while that might make it easy to reach decisions, what with everyone agreeing with you on most things, this comes at the expense of missing better decisions and alternative actions because you simply don’t have the diversity of thought you need.

This can even happen on a large scale. Get a large group of likeminded people together, and you’ll get collective blindness to what can turn out to be glaring oversights. Ones that could well lead you towards catastrophic consequences.

Diversifying to create success.

Our own research, alongside the wider body of studies on the subject, tells us that when you deliberately diversify people within a group, you are more likely to obtain diversity of thought. Harvard researcher Linda Hill posits that ‘diversity of thought’ naturally produces creative abrasion. When followed up with creative agility and creative resolution, this becomes a potent catalyst for creative, original and innovative ideas that can take you far beyond those of your competitors.

What’s still holding many businesses back from implementing diversity of thought?

Geography, to an extent. Though the increase in remote working now opens up the doors to a world of talent, quite literally.

The other hold back is leadership. Newer ideas and mindsets aren’t always easy to adopt when people have been doing things a certain way, and with tangible success, for a long time. And that’s completely understandable.

Even so, instilling your leadership with the necessary skills to be inclusive is critical to creating a diverse environment. The kind of environment that creates psychological safety for all, where everyone feels actively included at the appropriate points in time.

At ABSTRACT, our research in this area has enabled us to develop the six key elements of inclusive leadership. And we offer a range of courses that can bring these lessons to your business, so you can create a truly diverse working culture.

Whether you’re worried you’ve built an echo chamber, or simply want to embrace the massive benefits diversity of thought and respect has for your business, then get in touch with us today. We’re here to help.

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