Diversity
It is a little known fact that people in the U.K. tend to keep their ketchup in the cupboard. People in the States tend to keep it in the fridge.
I know what you are thinking – “not me” (it is a generalisation) and more importantly “so what?”
Problem solving
The “so what” comes down to the way we tackle problems.
If you are in the U.S. and you run out of ketchup you will reach for the next available alternative – say mustard or mayonnaise. In the U.K. the alternative might well be vinegar or pickles.
We use our frame of reference when we solve problems.
So if you place an American and a Brit into the same ketchup crisis you will increase your chances of finding an acceptable solution.
Diversity is a powerful way to solve problems:
- Watson (an American Zoologist) and Crick (a British Physicist) discovered the double helix.
- Companies with female board members outperform those that only have male directors.
- The best chess playing partnerships are man and computer collaborations. How diverse can you get?
If you are getting nowhere solving your problem then find somebody with a more diverse perspective.
There is a downside
Whilst diversity may well result in a better solution it is likely to take longer. It is also more painful getting there. When we are working with people who see the world the same way as we do, it is easier, we come too far speedier solutions (though maybe not as creative).
If you have ever tried to explain to an American why we put vinegar on our chips (fries) you will know exactly what I mean.
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Listen to another opinion
Image by Guilherme Neves
James,
Your point about diversity being powerful to solve problems creatively is a good one. As General Patton said: if everyone is thinking alike, then someone isn’t thinking.
Annette :-)
Nice quote Annette, I think I can use that somewhere
Hello James,
I hear a lot of talk about diversity – clearly it is fashionable.
Reality? Human beings don’t do diversity well. We tend to stick to our kind. And our way of doing things. We live mostly on automatic pilot.
Diversity gets in the way of us functioning on automatic pilot.
Folks who are different from us threaten us by challenging what we take for granted as being the super view / way of living.
Most organisational environments demand speed, throughput, and low cost. Hence STANDARDISATION is the God of business life that yield EFFICIENCY.
For as long as we operate in these kinds of operational contexts, diversity will remain merely a good idea. And talk.
All the best
maz
Interesting Maz, I do think some companies are better at it than others (though non are perfect).
I worked for Unilever for a while, they were great at combining Dutch and British perspectives…
But I can’t help but think that was out of economic necessity rather than it being a good idea.
Hi James,
Is it just time that stands in the of organisations and people seeking out different opinions on the problems that they are trying to solve? I’m not so sure. I don’t think it’s as simple as that. I think it has a lot to do with a bunch of other factors including things like beliefs, world-view, assumptions, control, fear of being wrong, looking dumb etc etc.
Having time will help but it’s not the only challenge that we have to overcome.
Adrian
You keep PICKLES in the CUPBOARD?
My understanding of pickles is they keep in the unopened jar for ages, so they can be kept in a cupboard HOWEVER if you open them, then they need to be kept in the fridge. They will still keep for a long while, but they’ve started degrading.
TL;DR keep opened jars of pickles in the fridge. Unopened jars next to the ketchup in the cupboard where all right thinking people do.
Mind, I know of people who keep unopened cans of tuna in the fridge “because they’re fish”
Yes, that is a problem with gherkins.
Thanks for the comment