Aesop

Nelson Derry

In his best-selling book ‘Rebel Ideas’, Matthew Syed tells the story of how in 1958, an ambitious product development director working for a global travel luggage company comes up with he thinks is a brilliant idea. Somewhat unconventional for the time, his idea was to put wheels on the bottom of travel luggage suitcases. A potentially innovative solution to the challenges in the 1950’s where travellers would go about lifting and dragging heavy suitcases around.

Full of excitement, Mr Bloom is invited to present his new idea to the senior executives of the company. Following an eloquent presentation of what he thinks is a bold and exciting new direction for the company, his presentation receives what can only be described as a ‘lukewarm’ reception, and is ultimately dismissed by the executives as something that would simply never take off with customers. Well, decades later it is clear who was on the right side of history.

It’s interesting that here you have executives who were arguably in the best position to see the bigger picture and benefit from innovation, but they were blind to the obvious opportunities. Matthew Syed offers a thought-provoking explanation in his book, where he argues that their world view and frame of reference was so centred on un-wheeled luggage that it made it psychologically too difficult to step beyond this paradigm and think differently. Proliferated by a lack of diversity in the room and a lack of regular diverse perspectives which ultimately made them prisoners within their own paradigm.

The key to unlocking the power of diverse perspectives is by fostering an environment of Psychological Safety

Homogenous teams may feel easier. But easy doesn’t necessarily translate to high performance

Now it is natural that Homogenous teams may feel easier. Intuitively, this makes sense. On a homogenous team, people readily understand each other, and collaboration flows smoothly, giving the sensation of progress. Dealing with different perspectives and experiences on the other hand can sometimes cause friction, which can also feel counterproductive.

However, what the evidence shows is that working on diverse teams produces better outcomes, but that’s precisely because it’s harder. So easy doesn’t necessarily translate into high performance.

Diverse teams are more likely to constantly re-examine facts and remain objective. They may also encourage greater scrutiny of each member’s actions, keeping their joint cognitive resources sharp and vigilant. By breaking up workplace homogeneity, it allows colleagues to become more aware of their own potential biases and entrenched ways of thinking that can otherwise blind them to key information and even lead them to make errors in decision-making processes.

Unlocking the power of diverse perspectives requires an environment of Psychological Safety

However, there is no point having diversity in the room if their ideas and perspectives are not voiced or heard. Therefore, key to unlocking the power of diverse perspectives is by fostering an environment of Psychological Safety.

Amy Edmondson, who is the Novartis professor of Leadership at Harvard Business School, explains psychological safety as, “a belief that one will not be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns or mistakes."  In psychologically safe teams, people are just more immediate, real and authentic – and a lot more willing to bring ideas to the table because they know it won't be held against them. They feel safe and empowered to be themselves and bring divergent perspectives and ideas.

There is a genuine belief that it is expected and valued to speak up with work relevant ideas, questions, concerns and even mistakes. It allows for empathy to be harnessed within teams - strengthening the cognitive connections between each other (also known as the neutral coupling effect). A key attribute for collaboration in teams.

Dialling up psychological Safety and an environment where diverse perspective are valued requires intentionality and purpose

Leaders and people managers play a critical role as the stewards of the culture of their teams and organisations. It is within their gift to dial up psychological safety in their teams and create an environment where diverse perspectives are valued. However, this requires intentionality and action. Here are some examples of how leaders can start to dial up these important attributes….

Intentionally foster a team environment that replaces scepticism with intellectual curiosity, an open and learning mindset.

Consider whether you may need to invite others to that creative or idea generation meeting to ensure you get a broader perspective.

Periodically check in on your team to find out how safe they feel and what could enhance their feeling of safety. 

Ask your team about the challenges they might be experiencing. How they may be being excluded. Whether team dynamics are holding them back or if it’s the wider culture of the organisation. What barriers they may keep bumping into as a result of their backgrounds.