Page 117 - (DK) The Business Book
P. 117
LIGHTING THE FIRE 115
THE ART OF THINKING
INDEPENDENTLY,
TOGETHER
THE VALUE OF DIVERSITY
s with most clichés,
IN CONTEXT it is also a truism that
A managers often tend
FOCUS
to recruit in their own image—
Work-force diversity
males, for example, have a tendency
KEY DATES to employ males. If left unchallenged, Diversity management
2005 Car maker Daimler such behavior can lead to companies isn’t merely nice to have,
targets 20 percent of staffed with homogenous clones— it’s a business must.
management roles be filled by people from the same backgrounds Daimler company statement
women by 2020. It sets similar and with the same view of how (2005)
the business should be run.
targets for other diversity
In contrast, when organizations
measures, such as age mix,
actively pursue diversity—by
socio-demographic mix, and
employing people from different
nationality mix.
cultures and socio-economic
2009 A survey analyzing backgrounds, and of different
the value of female genders and ages—the more can stifle innovation and growth.
representation on corporate dynamic and stimulating they In diverse teams, opinions are less
boards ranks companies are as places to work. likely to go unchallenged.
with more females higher Diversity is not confined to
than male-dominated rivals. The case for diversity employee demographics. It might
Greater diversity means greater simply involve creating cross-
2012 A Harvard Business
scope for creativity—the more functional teams that incorporate
Review article by business
varied are the sources of an the views of people from across
consultants Jack Zenger and
organization’s views, the more a company—the marketing team,
Joseph Folkman finds that likely that out-of-the-box thinking for example, might benefit from the
women are rated higher in 12 and problem solving will occur. insight of operations or finance. But
of the 16 competencies that Studies have shown that diversity whatever the context, monochrome
define outstanding leadership. can also combat groupthink, a recruitment can lead to stasis—
malaise in group dynamics that diversity fights against it. ■
2013 New Italian law requires
a third of a company’s board
members be women by 2015. See also: The value of teams 70–71 ■ Beware the yes-men 74–75 ■ Thinking
outside the box 88–89 ■ Organizational culture 104–09
