Setting aside social, political, and moral reasons for encouraging a more diverse workplace, there is arguably no better incentive for promoting diversity than the premise that diverse teams and organizations are more creative. But is there actually any evidence in support of this idea? And if there is, do the potential gains in creativity produced by diversity come at the expense of interpersonal harmony and team cohesion? Here are seven findings from science:
Does Diversity Actually Increase Creativity?
Setting aside social, political, and moral reasons for encouraging a more diverse workplace, there is arguably no better incentive for promoting diversity than the premise that diverse teams and organizations are more creative. But is there actually any evidence to support this idea? Key findings from science show that while diverse team composition does seem to confer an advantage when it comes to generating a wider range of original and useful ideas, experimental studies suggest that such benefits disappear once the team is tasked with deciding which ideas to select and implement, presumably because diversity hinders consensus. But conflicts arising from diversity can be mitigated if teams are effectively led. And no matter how diverse the workforce is, you can’t enhance creativity unless there is a culture of sharing knowledge. Finally, consider that a better way to promote both creativity and diversity would be to select employees on the basis of their creativity, as opposed to their cognitive ability or educational credentials, for that alone would enhance the typical diversity level of organizations. In that sense, creativity may lead to diversity more than vice-versa.