Amanda Vallejo, Manager

Diversity & Inclusion and

EEO Contract Compliance

February 6, 2015

DIVERSITY OF

THOUGHT

Agenda

• Diversity of Thought

– Definition

– Culture

– What does it look like

• Diversity of Thought Implementation Challenges

• Diversity of Thought in Action

• How Do You Measure It

• Group vs. Individual Diversity of Thought

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Albert Einstein said, "we can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them“

What is Diversity of Thought

• Diversity of thought allows for differing perspectives on ideas and

unique insights into problems. It creates opportunities for innovation,

and partnerships in unexpected places. It allows you to take a "reality

check" before plunging into new activities. Most important, it helps

avoid groupthink.

• It encompasses the idea that different ideas, even conflicting ideas,

will rub and bump against one another. Eventually this collision will

instigate newer and more forward-thinking ideas that can be

implemented as successful business strategies.

• The idea of more than one way

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Diversity of Thought Evolution

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Reflects difference as

physical attributes

such as race, ethnicity,

age, gender, sexuality

and religion

A function of our physical and

social identities; the impact

those identities have on our life

history, work and life

experiences. A powerful

example of experiential diversity

is the emerging generational

diversity within the workforce

today

How our neural makeup and life

experience impact our problem

solving, both in terms of the

biological hardwiring of the brain

and what occurs when two

previously unrelated thoughts are

connected in a new way –

revealing new insights

Creating a Culture that Embraces

Diversity of Thought

1. Encourage open discussion

2. Explore all problems from the four-point sequence – beginning with

What do you know

3. Assign roles for asking difficult questions (have a devil's advocate)

4. Reward truth speakers

5. Train staff for the art of the difficult conversation

6. Invite new perspectives to discussions

7. Build in time to reflect and revisit tough decisions

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Four Point SequencePoint A - What you know

•Ask questions about the known problem or data•Explore what facts describe the situation•What can be learned from the past•What experience do other have that the team can learn from

Point B - Emerging themes from the information and or data

•Themes can help a team understand the big picture and also point out possibilities or options for other strategies

Point C - Explore pros and cons•List criteria for making a good decision and charting the pros and cons of each option

Point D – Brainstorm•Brainstorm who else the team must collaborate with or learn from to solve the problem•Analyze how the proposed solutions will affect the project, the department and the organization

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Following the four point sequence will help a team go far in avoiding groupthink

What Does It Look Like• When defining or considering how best to execute organizational

diversity of thought management or strategy, there are some best

practices associated with executing this kind of diversity:

– Evaluate opportunity - Not every decision requires multiple, diverse perspectives to ensure

that it’s solid

– Determine the perspectives needed - When considering whom to invite to exploratory

meetings, include those who will be impacted by the decision or who have pertinent

knowledge.

– Identify information-gathering mechanisms - How a team gathers diverse perspectives will

depend on who the audience is. Teams can leverage multiple tools from survey products, to

intranets, to email systems and telephone conferencing capabilities to gather and deliver

information. When the number of participants is small, real-time conversations are ideal.

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“Problem solving is not the realization of a state but a process of innovation in which improvements build on

improvements” – Prof Scott E. Page

Challenges to Implementing Diversity of Thought

• Challenge: Grasping that Executive Leadership and Subject Matter Experts (SME) may

not always have the right answer:

– An understated challenge may be getting the leadership to admit that he or she

doesn’t hold all the answers. According to IBM’s “Leading Through Connections”

study, more CEOs rely on their workforces to provide the full picture. In the

meantime, the workforce is hungry for more ways to fully collaborate with their

organizations; they want to have a real stake in the company’s success.

– Professor Scott E. Page has used mathematic models showing that "diversity

trumps ability". His case studies have demonstrated that strong teams of diverse

individuals have better problem solving skills than teams of more qualified people

that come from the same perspective.

– Businesses generally tend to link innovation with a creative drive that is exclusive

to the top and brightest talent, however, scientific research confirms that true

innovation thrives in an inclusive culture that values diverse ideas, leverages

unique perspectives and invites everyone to achieve collaborative breakthroughs

across the entire organization.

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Challenges to Implementing Diversity

of Thought

• Challenge: Engaging the workforce– While the idea of deeply engaging the workforce and evolving the definition of

diversity to be wholly inclusive has established benefits, it can pose some challenges shifting organizational behavior. This is especially true in organizations that still operate in a top-down, decision-making paradigm.

• Challenge: The amount of time required to conduct due diligence on an issue or topic that would benefit from diversity of thought.

– It takes time to assemble diverse players, solicit their input and then collate and appropriately use the data collected. But slowing down to execute this process can translate to increased speed tactically and strategically at the organizational level in the long term. An invaluable benefit of taking the time to hear from others is found not only in improved decision making, but in more rapid implementations or discovering you were about to go down the wrong road.

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Diversity of Thought in ActionFour strategies which can be used to enhance innovation in the workplace:

– Challenging: New ideas come from challenging the old ones. The more variances

in ideas that can be clashed against one another, the more fertile the soil is for

planting and generating new ideas.

– Broadening: By broadening the types of learning experiences offered to

employees, the more broad the ideas and solutions will become. A team from a

diverse background automatically brings different learning experiences and vision

to the table.

– Surrounding: The literal work surroundings have a direct impact on the quality of

innovation a company offers. Many corporate models have proven that comfort

and freedom of expression can go hand-in-hand.

– Capturing: A good leader has that special "sixth sense" that recognizes which

ideas and/or solutions should be captured and developed for the future.

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Types of Projects for Diveristy of

Thought• Not every decision requires multiple, diverse perspectives to ensure

that it’s solid. Some of the projects that benefit from diverse input

are:

– High-stakes decisions such as an opportunity to evaluate a new

market

– Design a new strategy

– Launch a product idea

– Find a solution to a recurring issue or any decision that impacts

more than one function

– Solution to administrative and or production bottlenecks

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How do you measure Diversity of

Thought

• Administrative - indirect cost savings

• New business recommendations

• Innovation recommendations

• Production – direct cost savings

• Engagement survey results - retention

• Number of teams with high diversity

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The higher diversity also translates to higher quality ideas, a fundamental component

of innovation

Where should we put our energy in

developing Diversity of ThoughtSteps to Creating Diversity of

Thought 1. Encourage open

discussion – Build trust

2. Explore all problems from the four-point sequence

3. Assign roles for asking difficult questions (have a devil's advocate)

4. Reward truth speakers

5. Train staff for in the art of difficult conversation

6. Invite new perspectives to the discussion

7. Build in time to reflect and revisit tough decisions

Skills and Training Needed:– Conflict resolution

– Having difficult conversations

– Emotional Intelligence

– Team Building

– Diversity and Inclusion

– Deep thinking Skills

– Generational Communication

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How will we know when we get there

Signs of an Unhealthy Company

• Playing favorites.

• Bending the rules too much.

• Employees fear taking risks.

• Employees are defensive.

• Employees give only positive feedback. People may not

complain because they sense that negative comments are

unwelcome. Or they may fear repercussions.

• Talented people giving average performance. - star

employees are not getting what they need to succeed.

• Customers complain often.

• Hearing bad news too late.

• Issues are repeated in meetings. If you hear about the same

problems over and over, it’s likely that there is little or no effective

action being taken to deal with them.

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How will we know when we get thereSigns of a Healthy company

• Openness and humility from top to bottom of the organization.

• An environment of accountability and personal responsibility..

• Freedom for risk-taking within appropriate limits.

• A fierce commitment to “do it right”.

• A willingness to tolerate and learn from mistakes. Punishing

honest mistakes stifles creativity. Learning from mistakes encourages

healthy experimentation and converts negatives into positives.

• Unquestioned integrity and consistency. Dishonesty and

inconsistency undermine trust. Organizations and relationships thrive

on clarity, transparency, honesty, and reliable follow-through.

• A pursuit of collaboration, integration, and holistic thinking. Turf

wars and narrow thinking are deadly. Drawing together the best ideas

and practices, integrating the best people into collaborative teams,

multiplies organizational strength.

• Courage and persistence in the face of difficulty.

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Individual Diversity of Thought

Three Factors of individual Diversity of Thought• Willingness – A person who thinks differently from others controls the

decision to reveal that thinking or to keep silent. What created willingness:

– Recognition, Respect, Trust, Fairness, Inclusion and Reward

• Readiness – Organizations that are ready to leverage Diversity of Thought

support environments that encourage people to learn from one another.

Skills and tools needed include:

– Communication, Conflict Resolution, Information Sharing, Problem Solving,

Consensus Building, Accountability, Diversity, Self Awareness, Flexibility, and

comfort with ambiguity

• Opportunity – Vehicles that open opportunity for Diversity of Thought and

avenues that allow people from various levels and functions to offer their

ideas, suggestions and insights, some examples are:

– Group process, focus groups, and cross-functional teaming

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Employee Resource Groups are a Diversity Strategy that relate to Opportunity for Diversity of Thought

Diversity of Thought

• Diversity is a resource to be accessed and utilized for superior

performance and innovation in part because of “more-than-one-way-

thinking” which results in innovation and creates an agile workforce

• Access to diversity of thought is blocked unless

organizations/departments also create and environment of fairness,

non-discrimination, respect and trust. Failure to do so compromises

the willingness factor.

• The social justice side of the diversity conversation links to the

performance side. Without it, Diversity of Thought is a resource

withheld.

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