Working with people who are “different”

Working with people who are “different” improves our own performance.

We understand that people from different cultural, gender, and professional backgrounds bring unique perspectives that can help unlock solutions. Networking minds, however, comes with a counterintuitive benefit. The surprising truth is that working with people who are “different” improves our own performance.

By engaging with diverse minds, we become more alert to information, more open to reevaluating our own assumptions, and more attuned to solving the task.

In groups where everyone looks the same, the norm is not to rock the boat. We often put social concerns ahead of voicing unique points of view. Psychologists have studied the need for belonging and observed that we want to be liked by people similar to ourselves. When we surround ourselves with dissimilar people, a social dynamic is created in which people have to explain why they agree or disagree with others. It may make us feel uneasy, but it pushes us to solve the problem at hand.

Diverse groups may experience upset of status quo and feel insecure, but will be motivated to reconcile opposite opinions. They are more focused and accurate. Surrounding ourselves with people who are dissimilar often feels uncomfortable. We don’t like diversity because it makes us work harder.

Networking minds disrupts cohesion. By interacting with more diverse minds, Creators move beyond routine thinking to come up with greater insights. When we anticipate interacting with people who are “not like us,” we come better prepared. When we expect to engage with others with different view points, we do out homework. We consider our argument and arrive better prepared, improving our own performance. Interacting with people not like us takes more work.

Caution: Networking minds doesn’t have to occur constantly. It can take the form of short burst of project-based work. Creators quickly assemble “flash teams” to solve specific problems and address an urgent need.