You are probably wrong
Diversity has become sought-after as organisations begin to see the potential benefits, but truly harnessing the positives will require a little forethought, writes Simon Merrell, of Merrell People.
The correlation between diversity of thought and the quality and number of options is convincing.
When I invite individuals to describe the opportunity in a simple set of food ingredients, the various answers testify to how we look very differently upon the same scene.
Some would make a cake and eat it! Others would donate an item to their neighbour who had run out!
Key to both generating breadth, depth and connection (insight) are people who bring different experiences, skills, knowledge and opinions.
Imagine having all this perspective in a room generating options and answers to some of your opportunities. Probably scary and exciting in equal measure.
The problem can lie in converging on a decision. We have generated a range of options but which one is right?
This is where the evidence for diversity is less convincing. Just having different people in a room is not enough. Teams, groups and organisations need to pay attention to the following too…
