1. do great minds think alike? considering cognitive diversity

2. Making unseen business issues visible is like discovering that stars also shine in the day time. -Ned Herrmann

3. diversity is… difference

4. difference takes many forms

5. difference is relational …it exists between people, not in people

6. difference is generative …difference always changes social groups

7. difference changes social groups… Introducing or increasing difference in a social group triggers: we vs. they mentality stereotyping in-group favoritism inter-group conflict satisfaction, performance, turnover get worse

8. difference changes social groups… greater diversity = greater variance in performance (groups with more diversity always perform better or worse than groups with less diversity)

9. inclusion is… Our ability to include difference and utilize the resources that we have access to. fairness of employment practices openness to difference inclusion in decision making

11. If you do not intentionally include, you will unintentionally exclude.

13. identitycognitive behavioralaffective kinds of difference

14. identitycognitive behavioralaffective kinds of difference

15. identityidentity diversitydiversity

16. cognitive diversity differences in mental process, perception, judgment, categorization, rule of thumb, etc.

17. one We think differently.

18. analytical rational realistic factual logical definitive risk taker creative flexible synthesizer conceptual intuitive persistent planner organized disciplined detailed practical passionate cooperative empathetic expressive harmonizing responsive

19. Solving technical problems Analyzing complex issues Logical approach Interpersonal aspects of situations Ice breakers Socializing in meetings Conceptualizing Innovating Seeing the big picture Routine Meetings Details Structure Expressing ideas Understanding group dynamics Team building Logic ahead of feelings No interaction with people Implementing ideas Developing plans Follow-up and completion “Blue Sky” thinking Not following the rules Joys Frustrations Joys Frustrations Joys Frustrations Joys Frustrations Cerebral Mode (abstract & intellectual thought) Limbic Mode (concrete and emotional processing) Left Mode Right Mode ANALYZE ORGANIZE STRATEGIZE PERSONALIZE

20. counting money spending money saving money helping the others

21. earningsdiversity market share human potential

22. get lostget funding get insurance get lucky

23. financialstrategic tacticalpeople

24. “Forensic science using the undeniable facts of blood type, fingerprints, and spectrographic analysis of paint fragments proves beyond a doubt…”

25. “This accident demonstrates the lethal combination of drunk driving and faulty car design. These two issues are national in scope and deserve urgent Congressional attention if future generations are to be adequately protected…”

26. “At 3:30 pm, Thursday, April 9 th, on Route 9, 15 miles North of Columbus, a black 1978 Plymouth 4-door sedan traveling at 75 mph in a 35 mph school zone…”

27. “Tearful, screaming mother attacks cowering suspect as irate police officer hold off an angry mob at the terrifying scene of a tangled school bus and the accidents victims.”

28. If everyone is thinking the same thing, someone isn’t thinking at all. -General George S. Patton

29. What’s in the toolbox? perspectives heuristics equifinality

30. perspectives Perspectives are ways of representing situations and problems, how we organize knowledge.

31. what do you see?

32. time for some exercise

33. forced choices… Which do you most value in your friendships? A. trust B. loyalty C. honesty

34. forced choices… Which would you least want to be? A. very poor B. very sick C. disabled / living with a disability

35. forced choices… Which kind of marital type relationship would you least want for your child? A. different race B. different religion C. same gender D. out of necessity

37. identityidentity diversitydiversity

39. heuristics Heuristics are ways of generating solutions. Heuristics can vary in their sophistication, and they can be immediate reactions to situations or simple rules of thumb.

42. equifinality The belief that a given result can be achieved many different ways.

43. going from point a to point b Are there multiple ways to get there…or is there one “right” way?

44. so… Perspectives are how we see things (and problems and opportunities) Heuristics are how we approach or solve them Equifinality is how open we are to considering other perspectives and heuristics

45. two Thinking differently is good.

46. MBA Harvard University 100 people

47. MBA Harvard University 100 people team #1

48. MBA Harvard University 100 people team #1 team #2

49. 1-survival “…openness to the outside world, tolerance for the entry of new individuals and ideas, and consequently a manifest ability to learn and adapt to new circumstances.” The Living Company | Arie de Geus

50. 2-new competitive advantage Change is the engine of growth. Sustainable, profitable change is fueled by innovation.

51. "Innovation provides the seeds for economic growth, and for that innovation to happen depends as much on collective difference as on aggregate ability. If people think alike then no matter how smart they are they most likely will get stuck at the same locally optimal solutions. Finding new and better solutions, innovating, requires thinking differently. That’s why diversity powers innovation.“ -Scott E. Page, Professor, University of Michigan

52. 3-better problem solving The Difference | Scott Page

53. None of us is as smart as all of us. -Ken Blanchard

54. 4-conformity kills

55. “A person does not live for months or years in a particular position in an organization, exposed to some streams of communication, shielded from others, without the most profound effects upon what he knows, believes, attends to, hopes, wishes, emphasizes, fears and proposes.” -Herbert J. Simon

56. 5-human nature

57. three Thinking differently is hard.

58. stereotypes assumptions labels categories conformity confirmation bias other cognitive biases…

59. If everyone is thinking the same thing, someone isn’t thinking at all. -General George S. Patton

60. how?

61. expectations expect everyone to promote and participate in honest, candid conversation and support the final outcome role model no dead fish!

62. devils advocate practice it expect it enforce it reward it ask questions

63. mix things up networking and interaction across organizational boundaries “The Social Origin of Good Ideas” -Ronald Burt

64. do different training and experiential diversity bring people, ideas, practices in from different organizations, different industries, different cultures

65. high differencelow difference high interaction learning growth self-organization stress conflict exhaustion celebration reinforcement energy low productivity wasted energy factions low interaction reflection safety clearing the decks isolation misunderstanding frustration comfort belonging rest and recovery boredom stagnation death Difference Matrix Glenda Eoyang HSDI

66. high difference low difference high interaction move to low difference: Tell a joke. State a shared value or belief. Share personal experience. Pick a low difference topic. move to low interaction: Stop communicating. Leave the area. Explain yourself. Pick a low communication topic. low interaction move to high interaction: Ask a question. Use another medium. Listen more. Pick a high communication topic. move to high difference: Amplify little differences Play devils advocate Pick a high difference topic Difference Matrix Glenda Eoyang HSDI

67. “To be creative requires divergent thinking (generating many unique ideas) and then convergent thinking (combining those ideas into the best result).” -Newsweek

68. thank you!

69. resources The Difference: How the Power of Diversity Creates Better Groups, Firms, Schools, and Societies | Scott Page The Wisdom of Crowds | James Surowiecki A Whole New Mind | Daniel Pink The Medici Effect | Frans Johansson The Geography of Thought | Richard Nisbett

70. resources Achieving Success Through Social Capital: Tapping Hidden Resources in Your Personal and Business Network | Wayne E. Baker The Whole Brain Business Book | Ned Herrmann Competitive Advantage Through People: Unleashing the Power of the Work Force | Jeffrey Pfeffer

71. joe gerstandt www.joegerstandt.com joe.gerstandt@gmail.com www.twitter.com/joegerstandt www.linkedin.com/in/joegerstandt www.facebook.com/joegerstandt 402.740.7081

72. joe gerstandtilluminating the value of difference inclusive cultures intentional relations integral leadership innovative practices