When Strangers Meet: Increasing Diversity Powers Results
Photo by Adi Goldstein on Unsplash
I listened to an episode of NPR’s Hidden Brain a while back about the power of intercultural relationships and what research says about the strength of diversity in a professional setting. The critical question they ask is, "are the benefits of diverse ideas worth the miscommunications and lack of social cohesion?" The guests concluded that diversity benefits are far more widespread than initially thought - with one or two caveats.
The first segment introduced Galician bagpiper and pianist Christina Pato Lorenzo and described her invitation to join cellist Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Ensemble. The question which inspired Ma to create this diverse group of musicians was What happens when strangers meet? The music this eclectic group has performed over the past two decades proves the creative value of diversity.
Musical creativity is one thing, but how do the benefits of diversity extend beyond art and into other industries and team dynamics? Is there a way to scientifically measure the positive aspects of diversity relative to the potential conflicts and misunderstandings that might occur? According to the episode, it turns out that research papers that cite sources representing authors from a greater variety of backgrounds are more likely to be held in high regard or be published. The same goes for research teams, where avoiding homogeneity seems to lead to a considerably higher success rate.
Another study highlighted the benefits of intercultural interactions on college campuses in the US. The first finding saw that college students who had been in a relationship with someone from a different country received a short-term boost in creativity after a short reflection on their time with that person. The second area of the study measured how often J-1 visa holders in the US interacted with people in the US and concluded that frequency of contract while in the US increased chances of entrepreneurialism back home. Now, that last example presents a chicken and egg problem. Entrepreneurial people may be more natural risk-takers, hence allowing them to exit their comfort zones and engage with others while abroad.
These examples, and Ma's fundamental question, caused me to reflect on a 2019 project I took part in in Stockholm last year. MBA students from Babson and design students in Stockholm representing 12 different nationalities had one week to create an innovative project concept. At times, communication was challenging - not linguistically but culturally. How literally should we follow the directions? When should we stop analyzing problems to solve and begin working on solutions? My biggest takeaway from this week was the multiple levels of diversity in action. I often found myself more in sync with the female design student from Syria than the male MBA student from San Fransisco. What the three of us put together was truly unique and special and proved what a group of dedicated, diverse people might create in one week.
So, we could all benefit by taking just one step outside our comfort zone during these strange times. Whether that's attended an unfamiliar online meetup group or collaborating with someone in a different field, doing so is sure to result in something unique and memorable.
