Why does Cognitive Diversity Need Space in Your Business?

I have been recently invited to have a chat about Diversity at Linkedin and then I thought, well we have been talking about diversity for years. The focus has always been more on the plurality of gender, race, color, and sexual orientation, I have participated in smaller and global forums and we have already been talking about cognitive diversity.

Why not explore and share this with my network?

Tammy, but what is cognitive diversity?

In a summarized way, we could say that it is the understanding that people with different styles, personalities, and origins can add new solutions and possibilities for new and old problems.

Research published by Harvard Business Review found that teams solve problems faster when they are cognitively more diverse.

Even though a company's cultural FIT is important, exclusive attention to this may minimize cognitive diversity.

Much has been said about the importance of counterpoints, innovation as well as creativity, but dealing with these aspects is far from easy, as it requires intellectual maturity.

Clash of ideas can create something new, it can bring about a healthy conflict for any organization and create a path for new strategies, but it can also generate conflicts of ego, because there is a comfort bias in what is already known, in what is already standardized and in most part processes, it is more comfortable not to disagree, not to rethink and not to face.

In terms of diversity of thought, space is occupied by drafts of ideas, uncertain areas, possibilities, bets that were previously unthinkable.

What do companies gain from this?

1. Engagement - Have you ever attended a meeting and exposed your counterpoints without fear? Already translated into rediscussing the obvious? Yes, the obvious is only in the eye of the beholder.

2. Critical intellectual mass - (solutions to old problems, new problems, or anticipating them)

3. Strategic thinking - Yes! This should not be analyzed only in leadership profiles. People who have the courage and reason to defend their point of view, influence others to explore paths that would never be explored in an environment where there is an agreement in everything.

What if you did an exercise to understand the value of cognitive diversity in your company's selection process?

For example: What if instead of analyzing only curriculum and relationship aspects, that perfectly fit with the culture, you looked at other not-so-obvious points?

Like? Come on!

-What is the engagement capacity of the professional I am hiring? How can I identify which profiles can add, through inclusion and maintain this openness in my company in my time?

-Is there the courage to defend a point of view? - People who activate reflections in vertical and horizontal lines in the environment, are agents of change.

- Question your framings! Where does cultural FIT end and where does your FIT start? Are you used to low cognitive diversity? We make a very big confusion between what is a connection with another person and what is an attempt to maintain the status quo. Yes, cognitive diversity is not a piece of cake, although the effort is worth it!

- Why not replace that test of logical reasoning or math with a test of decision making? Assessments that express how people think, act and make decisions. No! He does not need to be a leader, manager, director, or CEO, moreover, it is an old and outdated standard.

Did you know that the thought that a group legitimate as correct, can encourage others to fit in so as not to be in difficult situations? Who has not already swallowed an absurd idea and who knew that the risks would be irrational, simply to be accepted into the group? Most of us, for sure.

Cognitive diversity must reflect the diversity of thought and perspective, to achieve an increase of potential and competitiveness.

If you want to grow your business, if you want to have a winning team, have a cognitively diverse team. Question unanimity, create rules of communication in your time where someone will be focused on disagreeing with the central idea. Try it!

Is there a rule for that? Yes, there is!

1. Have cognitively mature leaders create an environment where the diversity of thoughts is not passive to judgment or punishment.

2. Attract innovative people.

Dear Entrepreneur or Dear Hiring Manager:

Working on cognitive diversity without working on soft skills does not change culture, let alone its modus operandi.

The world has evolved! In the past, we didn't hear about cultural fit, a good curriculum, it was already a “guarantee” of employment.

New times show the importance of being “compatible” with the place you are going to work. Before, we didn't hear about diversity and how people were hired to obey and fit in. The dream job? Ah! That was the one who paid the bills ...

It is time time to talk about brain neuroplasticity, that is, the more we live with different people the more we gain multigenerational environments to compete in the market. Invest in phrases like:

-I disagree and I will explain why...

-I think differently, let me show...

-I see the scenario...

Speaking of cognitive diversity, what will happen to you if you don't see it as something important, a priority, and treated as the core of your business?

Finally, I believe that you must make room for heterogeneity otherwise heterogeneity will not make room for you... and checkmate!

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