It would be impossible to ignore all the press about the possibility of Judge Sonia Sotomayor becoming a Supreme Court judge. I don’t want to go into the politics of this, or talk about the pros and cons of her nomination. Nevertheless, reading different viewpoints reminded me once more of why diversity enriches decision making.
The New York Times, in their article The Waves Minority Judges Always Make, quote what Justice Souter wrote in a 1998 dissent in a death penalty case:
Anyone who has ever sat on a bench with other judges knows that judges are supposed to influence each other, and they do. One may see something the others did not see, and then they all take another look.
I think that sums up nicely how diversity can help leaders make wiser decisions. When people come from different ethnicities, backgrounds, generations, personalities, and genders, it is more likely that “One may see something the others did not see, and then they all take another look.” Let’s examine just three of the most commonly cited reasons why diversity brings advantages to decision making.
- Heightened Creativity. Experts in creativity tell us that settings where people come from a variety of backgrounds and are different from one another along many dimensions foster creativity. That is probably why when an organization creates a task force to deal with long-standing problems they tend to come up with solutions that are creative and successful. Task forces usually draw their members from many levels and functions in the company, and usually include greater diversity of gender, age, and race than the organization as a whole. On the other hand, researchers also warn that a diversity of viewpoints must be accompanied by a tolerance for differences of opinion if the group is to exploit its potential creativity.
- Less “groupthink.” The more homogeneous a group is, the easier it is to slip into groupthink. Because it brings different and differing viewpoints and worldviews, Diversity tends to push people to deal with dissenting views before they make a decision and move forward. Therefore, there is more potential for making high-quality decisions.
- Broader perspective. When scholars from different disciplines have studied how people make breakthroughs, the common answer seems to be by diverse perspectives. Diverse worldviews can be very useful when an organization is trying to solve a complex problem and make the right decisions for implementing a new strategy. In his book “The Difference” (2007) Page argues that group decision-making is best when the group reflects unique perspectives and ways of thinking. The key lies in bringing together individuals with different backgrounds and life experiences. The result will be a messy process, but one which will come to much better decisions.
The challenge in any group is always how to manage the complexity of interactions and the ease of communication, to come to wise solutions. Complex problem solutions are almost always the result of giving voice to diverse perspectives, listening to them, and through wise dialogue and collaboration coming to creative breakthroughs. It is my hope that leaders will harness the power of dialogue and diversity for the good of their organizations.