Paul PelletierProject management key note speaker, author, corporate lawyer, and executive| Paul Pelletier Consulting Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Forbes recently released Fostering Innovation Through a Diverse Workforce (see link below). The paper is based on an exclusive survey of 321 executives at large global enterprises ($500 million-plus in annual revenues).
One of the key findings is that, for global companies, diversity is no longer simply a matter of creating a heterogeneous workforce, but using that workforce to innovate and give it a competitive advantage in the marketplace. And as companies compete on a global scale, diversity and inclusion frequently have to shift, as different markets and different cultures have varied definitions of what diversity means.
Elizabeth HarrinDirector| RebelsGuideToPM.comLondon, England, United Kingdom
As with any team, having the team in place isn''t going to get work done. It''s how you leverage the skills on the team to do the best work possible. I haven''t read the study in detail but I''d expect that a heterogeneous team to be more innovative ''out of the box'' simply because their discussions will be drawing on a different set of contextual backgrounds. Saving Changes...
Michael AdamsSolutions Architect| LANLLos Alamos, Nm, United States
That was an interesting report. My experience is that having a diverse group does improve innovation. I wrote an article on diversity here:
Diversity, Creativity, and Success I find that the sorts of obvious diversity being discussed, diversity is race, culture, sexual orientation, gender, religion, bring an obvious mix of perspectives to the table. It is that mix of perspectives and experiences that allows people to consider a problem or potential solution from a perspective that otherwise would never occur to them.
On a simpler level, I used to work construction, and we had workers with varieties of expertise. So when we were discussing a carpentry solution, it was often useful to ask the steel workers, or the concrete experts. They have a different experience and often suggest a hybrid solution, that wouldn''t occur to a carpenter.
Likewise, we had workers from Mexico, Los Angales, and New Mexico. Work gets done differently in different ares, so the mix of perspectives often gave us innovative ideas to solve problems.
Multiply that list of perspectives and you multiply the possibility of creativity and innovation. Develop a culture inside of which people can share without being criticized for their ideas, and you open the doors to solutions that otherwise might have lay dormant in the recesses of someone''s mind. Saving Changes...
Michael AdamsSolutions Architect| LANLLos Alamos, Nm, United States
Paul PelletierProject management key note speaker, author, corporate lawyer, and executive| Paul Pelletier Consulting Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Thanks for the great comments Elizabeth and Michael. Also appreciate the addition of more supportive material to reinforce the power of diversity. Saving Changes...
Anonymous
Elizabeth is right: simply having a diverse group is not enough; you need the processes and the mindset to get the best out of them.
What seems evident from the report is that bigger companies are in a better position to have broader diversity by simple geographic breadth. Smaller, localized companies cannot simply go to the different cultures but must somehow bring them to their office. Saving Changes...
Stéphane ParentSelf Employed / Semi-retired| Leader MakerPrince Edward Island, Canada
I guess I did not realize I was no longer logged in when I posted the message above. Saving Changes...
Steven ZacharyDirector| Alberta Health ServicesCalgary, Alberta, Canada
Steven ZacharyDirector| Alberta Health ServicesCalgary, Alberta, Canada
Diversity works wonders, especially when problem solving is required. I have countless examples of this.
Thanks for sharing the study! Saving Changes...
Patricia KruegerProgram Manager| PK Accounting and Non Profit StrategiesGilbert, Az, United States
The study shows the importance of diversity and I appreciate and agree with all of your comments! I have run into situations where the pressure is to create project teams that are similar, but I find that the result is generally weaker than if there were staff resources from a variety of backgrounds and expertise. Saving Changes...
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