To better understand collaborative dynamics, researchers at Stanford and Berkeley Hass studied hundreds of thousands of Slack messages. They “found that more successful teams modulated their cognitive diversity to fit the task at hand.”
Imagine that: modulating diversity of perspectives. Treating diversity as a strategic lever.
In my experience working with organizations, very few teams see diversity of perspectives as a dial they can turn to drive desired outcomes. “Team” is more of a fixed concept than a fluid one. And yet, especially when seeking to generate possibilities, the biggest need is actually to deliberately dial up cognitive diversity.
The default objective of a team is convergence — make decisions — and as a result, the default behaviors of convergent mode become the norm.
Generating becomes an exceptional — or rare — activity, a rare objective and a rare behavior set. The tendency is to approach the process of idea generating in the same way, with the same people. Inviting diverse perspectives can be an explicit marker to all contributors: the purpose of this meeting is different.
What a way to set the frame!
Related: Look for What’s Right
Related: Set The Frame
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