For a moment, put aside the workplace diversity we can see—race, gender, age. Instead consider a type of diversity we can’t see. I’m talking about cognitive diversity. Cognitive diversity is a broad set of variations in the way people think, and research is showing that when people with different thinking styles collaborate, the result is better overall team performance.
Of course, diversity, equity, and inclusion based on race, gender, and age should be embraced by employers simply in the name of fairness. That goes without saying. But it’s often posited that these types of diversity are also in the best interests of the company because they foster innovation. Is this true? One research team has uncovered surprising information.
Which type of diversity boosts team performance?
In an article in HBR, Alison Reynolds and David Lewis write about testing this hypothesis. They say, “Received wisdom is that the more diverse the teams in terms of age, ethnicity, and gender, the more creative and productive they are likely to be. But having run the execution exercise around the world more than 100 times over the last 12 years, we have found no correlation between this type of diversity and performance.” What they did find, however, was that teams diverse in age, ethnicity and gender were actually cognitively diverse. And it is the cognitive diversity that explained the performance bump.
Cognitive differences can include problem-solving skills, cultural background, introversion/extroversion, strengths and talents, or even thinking speed.
Beyond these “softer” cognitive differences, there are also more physiological cognitive differences. This week, I attended an online conference session given by an architect, predicting how multigenerational work will affect the spaces we work in. Much to my surprise, she said she and her colleagues focused less on generational diversity and subsequent needs, and more on neurological divergence. Neurodivergence refers to the neurological differences that deviate from societal standards, such as attention disorders, dyslexia, and the autism spectrum.
So how can we foster cognitive diversity in the workplace?
Hiring and team formation
It all starts with hiring. We say people tend to hire people who look like them, but they also hire people who think like they do. In tech, in particular, lack of cognitive diversity can happen organically when founders hire those like them. For example, engineers may hire right-brained thinkers. Sometimes it’s the role that attracts certain types of thinkers. For example, a sales team may become dominated by extroverts, when perhaps an introverted good listener would round out the team.
Workplace design
With the physical workplace currently disrupted, there will be a lot of thinking in the coming months about how to bring employees back together in a way that works for all. The open office concept was supposed to encourage cross-pollination of ideas. That’s fusion via cognitive diversity. But Covid protections may be the undoing of the open office. Conversely, perhaps this will be helpful for those with ADHD and need the space to focus. Architects and designers are considering all these cognitive issues as they plan new places for us to work.
Operating instructions
Different cognitive styles can result in communication breakdowns. One of my favorite techniques to cut through the dances and missed cues of communication, is for teammates to create and share “operating instructions.” For example, I work best when… The best way to approach me about a new idea is… The communications tool I prefer is…. These instructions make it clear how others should work with you for best results. No workstyle is better than another—just as no brain is better than another. Just different. Operating instructions remove some of the obstacles in collaboration between different types of people.
Mentor/mentee pairings
Chip Conley coined the term mentern (mentor + intern = mentern) after his experience working at Airbnb with a much younger team. When youngers and olders are paired, they learn from each other. The olders tend to have cognitive styles that connect the dots, as well as emotional intelligence and leadership skills. Youngers tend to have fresher vision, be quick thinking, and embrace risk-taking. The more companies can foster these pairings, the more knowledge and innovation will grow within the company.
The last 50 years have brought incredible breakthroughs in our understanding of how the brain works. We now know that thinking patterns and communication styles are largely programmed neurologically, rather than by character. Each of us is a complex mix of strengths of cognitive strengths. The sooner we can embrace this without judgment and capitalize on cognitive diversity, the more inclusive, joyful, and productive our work will be.