On the diversity of values.

Having had a brief look at what values are (click here for my previous article), let us now dive into how they can serve us when it comes to team performance.?

In today's world, the topic of diversity & inclusion is a hot one. An important one. A sensitive one. People and organizations are striving to make their workplaces more diverse, more inclusive and more equal.?

There is a lot of research, many articles and opinions on this topic. This article is not about that. It is not about a political stance or personal perspective on it. I am intentionally putting the topic of "social category" diversity aside. In this article, I want to focus especially on value diversity.

I find it an interesting category to think about. Let us quickly make a quick distinction between the types of diversity for the sake of clarity (1):

1. Social category diversity reflect differences in gender, race, ethnicity, age and religion. This is what most people usually think of when they hear about diversity today.
2. Cognitive category diversity includes differences in education, training, experience and motivation.
3. Value diversity captures the difference between the perception of a team's purpose and beliefs.?

The function of a team

Not to bore you with the obvious, but why form a team in the first place?

A team is basically a group of people who work towards a common goal. In a pure business context, teams are here to plan, solve problems and make decisions that are too complex for an individual to do. Teams add perspectives, experiences and skills to create solutions that are beyond the scope of an individual.

Values unite

One function of a team, therefore, is its ability to innovate. Another function is to collaborate effectively in order to do so.

"Ideally, you want a team to have high cognitive diversity and low value diversity. High cognitive diversity ensures that the team has the requisite tools and information to solve problems effectively, and low value diversity means the team is unified in its purpose." - Michael Mauboussin

High cognitive diversity drives innovation, and low value diversity smoothes cohesion.?

But what does that mean in a business context? There is a link between values and performance: the culture and its values are how a company honors its mission, and that means that values are a crucial component of strategic intent.

Values align interests

I would add: values are a component of long-term interest alignment (see my previous article on purpose). The dictionary defines alignment as:?“bringing parts into proper relative position; to adjust, to bring into proper relationship or orientation.”?

A low value diversity, therefore, could be a factor to consider when forming a solid foundation for effective teamwork. It seems to play a particular role in channeling the underlying motivational and interest factors. That, in turn, serves coordination, conflict management and decision-making.?

(1) Michael Mauboussin, Dan Callahan: Building an Effective Team, 2014

About me:

As leadership coach, I partner with successful leaders and business owners to help them grow their collaborative impact. By identifying their values and discovering their inherent strengths, leaders build the basis for engaging and meaningful interactions.