How to leverage diversity when leading remote teams

A guide to leading teams in hybrid and remote environments

Making a virtue out of diversity in all its forms

At the start of this series we introduced the Hoxby Model of Remote Leadership? and the 14 domains in which effective virtual leaders excel. So far we have looked at several areas including communication, comfort with disagreement, and driving results. This week we are exploring how leaders can leverage diversity, drawing on inspiration and insights from the way we work at Hoxby.??

A leader who excels in leveraging diversity is non-hierarchical, conscious of their bias, avoids cliques and tribalism, and looks to the whole group for answers. They know that robust thinking comes from different angles and standpoints, so they do everything they can to promote accessibility and inclusivity.??

There is a wealth of research demonstrating that diversity is a good thing. It leads to better outcomes across the board, including improved creativity, increased innovation and higher productivity. Theoretically it makes sense: if a group of people have a lot in common it is likely that they will ignore unusual or different ideas that don’t fit with their view of the world - whereas a diverse team of people with different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives are likely to come up with a greater quantity and variety of ideas.?

The research backs this up and highlights that collaboration, along with effective leadership, is required to funnel the ideas into a suitable solution. Recent research also shows that it is cognitive diversity specifically (the ability to think differently rather than differing demographics) that enables diverse teams to outperform homogenous ones, by creating collective intelligence.?

Despite this knowledge, the majority of organisations still hire and build teams for culture-fit rather than culture-add. This desire to seek out sameness and avoid difference is actually codified in our genes. As a species we are hardwired to want to feel part of a group and we feel most comfortable among people who are like ourselves. We only have to consider the recruitment process of matching a person to a job, team and culture to see how diversity of experience, thought patterns, information-processing styles and problem solving methods is restricted. It is up to leaders to rebel against this institutional bias and leverage diversity in their teams.

Leaders in hybrid organisations must also pay particular heed to the importance of collaboration in unlocking the benefits of diversity. Where a certain proportion of employees work remotely while the rest work from the office, in-groups and out-groups can form and create silos which block collaboration. Remote leaders must highlight and celebrate diversity – looking out for differences and considering how they could be beneficial working together. They must also pay special attention to accessibility across the in-person and at home proportions of the workforce, tailoring their approach to include any excluded group.

Key takeaways:

• Read the book Rebel Ideas by Matthew Syed to learn more about the compelling case for collective intelligence through collaboration of diverse individuals
• Is there a problem or challenge at work that has felt insurmountable? Can you bring together a cognitively diverse group of people to see if they are better able to solve it? (We would love to hear how it goes.)

Next week we will explore how remote leaders can keep their teams motivated in virtual and hybrid environments. If you can’t wait to read the entire series, or if you’d like to read more about how the theory can come to life through some real life examples, you can request the full PDF here.?