Diversity of Thought – what is it and how do you implement it as a Diversity initiative Learning objective: Discuss creating an environment of diverse thinkers and improving successful business strategies Diversity is a resource to be accessed and utilized for superior performance and innovation in part because of “more-than-one-way- thinking” which results in innovation and creates an agile workforce. Access to diversity of thought is blocked unless organizations also create an environment of fairness, non-discrimination, respect, trust and where employees feel that their voices matters. The social justice side of the diversity conversation is directly linked to the performance side, without it, Diversity of Thought is a human resource withheld. Diversity of thought allows for differing perspectives on ideas and unique insights into problems, it creates opportunities for innovation and partnerships in unexpected places where ideas will develop into newer and more forward-thinking ideas that can be implemented as successful business strategies. At the end of this seminar, participants will be able to: a. Identify Diversity of Thought and it’s evolution b. Understand the challenges to creating a culture that Embraces Diversity of Thought c. Implement and measure Diversity of Thought d. Explore the Four Point Sequence and the Predictive model framework

1. Amanda Vallejo, Manager
Diversity & Inclusion and
EEO Contract Compliance
February 6, 2015
DIVERSITY OF
THOUGHT

2. Agenda
• Diversity of Thought
– Definition
– Culture
– What does it look like
• Diversity of Thought Implementation Challenges
• Diversity of Thought in Action
• How Do You Measure It
• Group vs. Individual Diversity of Thought
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Albert Einstein said,
"we can't solve
problems by using the
same kind of thinking
we used when we
created them“

3. What is Diversity of Thought
• Diversity of thought allows for differing perspectives on ideas and
unique insights into problems. It creates opportunities for innovation,
and partnerships in unexpected places. It allows you to take a "reality
check" before plunging into new activities. Most important, it helps
avoid groupthink.
• It encompasses the idea that different ideas, even conflicting ideas,
will rub and bump against one another. Eventually this collision will
instigate newer and more forward-thinking ideas that can be
implemented as successful business strategies.
• The idea of more than one way
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4. Diversity of Thought Evolution
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Reflects difference as
physical attributes
such as race, ethnicity,
age, gender, sexuality
and religion
A function of our physical and
social identities; the impact
those identities have on our life
history, work and life
experiences. A powerful
example of experiential diversity
is the emerging generational
diversity within the workforce
today
How our neural makeup and life
experience impact our problem
solving, both in terms of the
biological hardwiring of the brain
and what occurs when two
previously unrelated thoughts are
connected in a new way –
revealing new insights

5. Creating a Culture that Embraces
Diversity of Thought
1. Encourage open discussion
2. Explore all problems from the four-point sequence – beginning with
What do you know
3. Assign roles for asking difficult questions (have a devil's advocate)
4. Reward truth speakers
5. Train staff for the art of the difficult conversation
6. Invite new perspectives to discussions
7. Build in time to reflect and revisit tough decisions
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6. Four Point Sequence
Point A - What you know
•Ask questions about the known problem or
data
•Explore what facts describe the situation
•What can be learned from the past
•What experience do other have that the team
can learn from
Point B - Emerging themes from the
information and or data
•Themes can help a team understand the big
picture and also point out possibilities or
options for other strategies
Point C - Explore pros and cons
•List criteria for making a good decision and
charting the pros and cons of each option
Point D – Brainstorm
•Brainstorm who else the team must collaborate
with or learn from to solve the problem
•Analyze how the proposed solutions will affect
the project, the department and the
organization
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Following the four point sequence will help a team go far in avoiding groupthink

7. What Does It Look Like
• When defining or considering how best to execute organizational
diversity of thought management or strategy, there are some best
practices associated with executing this kind of diversity:
– Evaluate opportunity - Not every decision requires multiple, diverse perspectives to ensure
that it’s solid
– Determine the perspectives needed - When considering whom to invite to exploratory
meetings, include those who will be impacted by the decision or who have pertinent
knowledge.
– Identify information-gathering mechanisms - How a team gathers diverse perspectives will
depend on who the audience is. Teams can leverage multiple tools from survey products, to
intranets, to email systems and telephone conferencing capabilities to gather and deliver
information. When the number of participants is small, real-time conversations are ideal.
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“Problem solving is not the realization of a state but a process of innovation in which improvements build on
improvements” – Prof Scott E. Page

8. Challenges to Implementing Diversity of Thought
• Challenge: Grasping that Executive Leadership and Subject Matter Experts (SME) may
not always have the right answer:
– An understated challenge may be getting the leadership to admit that he or she
doesn’t hold all the answers. According to IBM’s “Leading Through Connections”
study, more CEOs rely on their workforces to provide the full picture. In the
meantime, the workforce is hungry for more ways to fully collaborate with their
organizations; they want to have a real stake in the company’s success.
– Professor Scott E. Page has used mathematic models showing that "diversity
trumps ability". His case studies have demonstrated that strong teams of diverse
individuals have better problem solving skills than teams of more qualified people
that come from the same perspective.
– Businesses generally tend to link innovation with a creative drive that is exclusive
to the top and brightest talent, however, scientific research confirms that true
innovation thrives in an inclusive culture that values diverse ideas, leverages
unique perspectives and invites everyone to achieve collaborative breakthroughs
across the entire organization.
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9. Challenges to Implementing Diversity
of Thought
• Challenge: Engaging the workforce
– While the idea of deeply engaging the workforce and evolving the definition of
diversity to be wholly inclusive has established benefits, it can pose some
challenges shifting organizational behavior. This is especially true in
organizations that still operate in a top-down, decision-making paradigm.
• Challenge: The amount of time required to conduct due diligence on
an issue or topic that would benefit from diversity of thought.
– It takes time to assemble diverse players, solicit their input and then collate and
appropriately use the data collected. But slowing down to execute this process
can translate to increased speed tactically and strategically at the organizational
level in the long term. An invaluable benefit of taking the time to hear from others
is found not only in improved decision making, but in more rapid implementations
or discovering you were about to go down the wrong road.
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10. Diversity of Thought in Action
Four strategies which can be used to enhance innovation in the workplace:
– Challenging: New ideas come from challenging the old ones. The more variances
in ideas that can be clashed against one another, the more fertile the soil is for
planting and generating new ideas.
– Broadening: By broadening the types of learning experiences offered to
employees, the more broad the ideas and solutions will become. A team from a
diverse background automatically brings different learning experiences and vision
to the table.
– Surrounding: The literal work surroundings have a direct impact on the quality of
innovation a company offers. Many corporate models have proven that comfort
and freedom of expression can go hand-in-hand.
– Capturing: A good leader has that special "sixth sense" that recognizes which
ideas and/or solutions should be captured and developed for the future.
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11. Types of Projects for Diveristy of
Thought
• Not every decision requires multiple, diverse perspectives to ensure
that it’s solid. Some of the projects that benefit from diverse input
are:
– High-stakes decisions such as an opportunity to evaluate a new
market
– Design a new strategy
– Launch a product idea
– Find a solution to a recurring issue or any decision that impacts
more than one function
– Solution to administrative and or production bottlenecks
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12. How do you measure Diversity of
Thought
• Administrative - indirect cost savings
• New business recommendations
• Innovation recommendations
• Production – direct cost savings
• Engagement survey results - retention
• Number of teams with high diversity
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The higher diversity also translates to higher quality ideas, a fundamental component
of innovation

13. Where should we put our energy in
developing Diversity of Thought
Steps to Creating Diversity of
Thought
1. Encourage open
discussion – Build trust
2. Explore all problems from
the four-point sequence
3. Assign roles for asking
difficult questions (have a
devil's advocate)
4. Reward truth speakers
5. Train staff for in the art of
difficult conversation
6. Invite new perspectives to
the discussion
7. Build in time to reflect and
revisit tough decisions
Skills and Training Needed:
– Conflict resolution
– Having difficult
conversations
– Emotional Intelligence
– Team Building
– Diversity and Inclusion
– Deep thinking Skills
– Generational
Communication
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14. How will we know when we get there
Signs of an Unhealthy Company
• Playing favorites.
• Bending the rules too much.
• Employees fear taking risks.
• Employees are defensive.
• Employees give only positive feedback. People may not
complain because they sense that negative comments are
unwelcome. Or they may fear repercussions.
• Talented people giving average performance. - star
employees are not getting what they need to succeed.
• Customers complain often.
• Hearing bad news too late.
• Issues are repeated in meetings. If you hear about the same
problems over and over, it’s likely that there is little or no effective
action being taken to deal with them.
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15. How will we know when we get there
Signs of a Healthy company
• Openness and humility from top to bottom of the organization.
• An environment of accountability and personal responsibility..
• Freedom for risk-taking within appropriate limits.
• A fierce commitment to “do it right”.
• A willingness to tolerate and learn from mistakes. Punishing
honest mistakes stifles creativity. Learning from mistakes encourages
healthy experimentation and converts negatives into positives.
• Unquestioned integrity and consistency. Dishonesty and
inconsistency undermine trust. Organizations and relationships thrive
on clarity, transparency, honesty, and reliable follow-through.
• A pursuit of collaboration, integration, and holistic thinking. Turf
wars and narrow thinking are deadly. Drawing together the best ideas
and practices, integrating the best people into collaborative teams,
multiplies organizational strength.
• Courage and persistence in the face of difficulty.
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16. Individual Diversity of Thought
Three Factors of individual Diversity of Thought
• Willingness – A person who thinks differently from others controls the
decision to reveal that thinking or to keep silent. What created willingness:
– Recognition, Respect, Trust, Fairness, Inclusion and Reward
• Readiness – Organizations that are ready to leverage Diversity of Thought
support environments that encourage people to learn from one another.
Skills and tools needed include:
– Communication, Conflict Resolution, Information Sharing, Problem Solving,
Consensus Building, Accountability, Diversity, Self Awareness, Flexibility, and
comfort with ambiguity
• Opportunity – Vehicles that open opportunity for Diversity of Thought and
avenues that allow people from various levels and functions to offer their
ideas, suggestions and insights, some examples are:
– Group process, focus groups, and cross-functional teaming
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Employee Resource Groups are a Diversity Strategy that relate to Opportunity for Diversity of Thought

17. Diversity of Thought
• Diversity is a resource to be accessed and utilized for superior
performance and innovation in part because of “more-than-one-way-
thinking” which results in innovation and creates an agile workforce
• Access to diversity of thought is blocked unless
organizations/departments also create and environment of fairness,
non-discrimination, respect and trust. Failure to do so compromises
the willingness factor.
• The social justice side of the diversity conversation links to the
performance side. Without it, Diversity of Thought is a resource
withheld.
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