The Power of Diversity

Scott Page published a powerful book in 2007 that deserves a lot more attention than it got. The Difference: How the Power of Diversity Creates Better Groups, Firms, Schools and Societies. Scott talked about his ideas at the Thought Leader Forum in 2004. I ate 'em up.

Here is the transcript of his talk, along with some of our real-time illustrations.

First off, his definition of "diversity" has nothing to do with class, race or gender. He cares about "cognitive diversity" -- the mental toolbox that we use to solve our problems. The fun thing about mental tools is that they are combinatorial -- you can use models and methods you learned in algebra and combine them with stuff you learned playing soccer, and you will look at problems in a completely unique way. What Scott found in his research is that teams of people with diverse backgrounds, experiences and yes, IQ's will outperform teams of (literally) rocket scientists on solving complex problems. The scientists are all trained to approach problems in the same way, while the plumbers, gardeners and assistants all look at problems differently.



How can we tap into The Difference at conferences? Most meetings are training grounds for conformity -- abide by the dress code, stick to the agenda, sit quiet and listen, and networrrrrrrrk NOW! We go to meetings to get stimulated. Lots of corporate meetings (at least) are organized to get people "aligned". How can we leverage diversity, and not squash it because it's inconvenient?