A presentation about leverage cognitive diversity to drive innovation...delivered by joe gerstandt to the leadership of Stryker Medical in 2011.

1. Stryker Medical

2. joegerstandt.com
twitter.com/joegerstandt
linkedin.com/in/joegerstandt
facebook.com/joegerstandt
youtube.com/joegerstandt
joegerstandt.com/blog
slideshare.net/joeg

5. MT
engineers

6. MT
engineers
MT
management

7. MT
engineers
NASA
management
MT
management

8. MT
engineers
NASA
management
MT
management

9. MT
engineers
NASA
management
MT
management

10. Tuesday
morning
January
28th
1986

11. MT
engineers
NASA
management
MT
management

12. NASA
management
MT
management

13. consider What
decision makes it
making… 1 - 10 better?

14. What looks like
resistance is
often a lack of
clarity.
-Switch, Dan and Chip Heath

15. diversity…

16. diversity…
difference

17. di·ver·si·ty
[dih-vur-si-tee]
noun, plural –ties
1.the state or fact of being
diverse; difference; unlikeness.
2.variety; multiformity.
3.a point of difference.

18. diversity…
difference
takes
many forms

20. diversity…
difference
takes
many forms
disruptive

21. ↑diversity =
↑variance in
performance
groups with more diversity
perform better or worse than
groups with less diversity

24. identity diversity:
Differences in our social
identities.
cognitive diversity:
Differences in how we think and
solve problems.

25. The Social Origin of Good Ideas
-Ronald Burt, University of Chicago
Teams with greater training and
experiential diversity introduce
more innovations.
“Management Team Tenure and Organizational
Outcomes” Finkelstein, Hambrick (1999)
Administrative Science Quarterly
&
“Management and Innovation” Bantel, Jackson (2002)
Strategic Management Journal

26. sharing information
making meaning from
information
quality decision making
creative problem solving
innovation
fully utilizing talent

27. MBA
Harvard University
100 people

28. team #1
MBA
Harvard University
100 people

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

30. team #1
friends
with
cognitive
benefits MBA
Harvard University
100 people
team #2

32. who
how

34. dysfunction

35. dysfunctional dysfunctional
agreement disagreement

37. also
dysfunction

38. dysfunctional
dysfunctional dysfunctional
agreement
agreement disagreement

39. always
disagree lack of
trust
dysfunctional
dysfunctional dysfunctional
agreement
agreement disagreement
us vs.
them personal
conflict

40. always
always
agree
lack of disagree lack of
honesty trust
dysfunctional
dysfunctional dysfunctional
agreement
agreement disagreement
avoid
us vs.
conflict meeting them personal
after the conflict
meeting

41. dysfunctional dysfunctional
dysfunctionalsweet
agreement disagreement
agreement
spot

42. Groups often fail to
outperform individuals
because they prematurely
move to consensus, with
dissenting opinions being
suppressed or dismissed.
-Hackman, Morris (1975) Advances in Experimental
Social Psychology

43. Minority dissent, even dissent
that is wrong, stimulates
divergent thought. Issues
and problems are considered
from more perspectives and
group members find more
correct answers.
-Nemeth, Staw (1989) Advances in Experimental
Social Psychology

44. Where do good ideas come
from? That is simple…from
differences. Creativity comes
from unlikely juxtapositions.
The best way to maximize
differences is to mix ages,
cultures and disciplines.
-Nicolas Negroponte, founder MIT Media Lab

46. sweet spot

47. share difference & commonality
explicit agreements
inquiry vs. advocacy
solutions vs. problems
empathy
i & we vs. them and they
make space for novelty
learn from failure
meta conversations

48. share difference & commonality
explicit agreements
inquiry vs. advocacy
solutions vs. problems
empathy
i & we vs. them and they
make space for novelty
learn from failure
meta conversations

49. share difference & commonality
explicit agreements
inquiry vs. advocacy
solutions vs. problems
empathy
i & we vs. them and they
make space for novelty
learn from failure
meta conversations

50. share difference & commonality
explicit agreements
inquiry vs. advocacy
solutions vs. problems
empathy
i & we vs. them and they
make space for novelty
learn from failure
meta conversations

51. share difference & commonality
explicit agreements
inquiry vs. advocacy
solutions vs. problems
empathy
i & we vs. them and they
make space for novelty
learn from failure
meta conversations

52. share difference & commonality
explicit agreements
inquiry vs. advocacy
solutions vs. problems
empathy
i & we vs. them & they
make space for novelty
learn from failure
meta conversations

53. share difference & commonality
explicit agreements
inquiry vs. advocacy
solutions vs. problems
empathy
i & we vs. them and they
make space for novelty
learn from failure
meta conversations

54. share difference & commonality
explicit agreements
inquiry vs. advocacy
solutions vs. problems
empathy
i & we vs. them and they
make space for novelty
learn from failure
meta conversations

55. share difference & commonality
explicit agreements
inquiry vs. advocacy
solutions vs. problems
empathy
i & we vs. them and they
make space for novelty
learn from failure
meta conversations

56. how

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

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

59. who

60. social network analysis
From time to time people discuss
important matters with other
people. Looking back over the
past six months, who are the
people with whom you discussed
matters important to you?

61. social network analysis
Consider the people you
communicate with in order to get
your work done. Of all the
people you have communicated
with during the last six months,
who has been the most important
for getting your work done?

62. social network analysis
Consider an important project or
initiative that you are involved in.
Consider the people who would be
influential for getting it approved
or obtaining the resources you
need. Who would you talk to, to
get the support you need?

63. social network analysis
Who do you socialize with?
(spending time with people after
work hours, visiting one another at
home, going to social events, out
for meals and so on) Over the last
6 months, who are the main people
with whom you have socialized
informally?

64. other ideas for mixing it up…
• social technology
• solution & idea contests
• open space technology
• decision accelerator
• random assignment
• more social
• communities of practice

65. thank you!

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

67. 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

68. 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