Summary of Driven by Difference

Simple Diversity Doesn’t Work

Many leaders and teams have had it with diversity. They’ve run programs and training sessions, and they’ve recruited diverse employees only to see no gains except, perhaps, an increase in problems and infighting. Whether or not you institute diversity intentionally, today a diversity of employees pervades nearly every workplace. However, just having a diverse workforce doesn’t guarantee innovation, creativity or any of the benefits generally associated with diversity.

High-functioning, diverse teams outperform homogenous teams, but diversity by itself contributes nothing to an organization’s success. Unless leaders intentionally leverage its potential, diversity erodes performance and productivity. Simply recruiting people of varied backgrounds and skills and hoping for the best often ends in acrimony and gridlock. If you don’t manage diverse teams carefully to take advantage of the members’ unique perspectives, you’re better off with team members of the same race, age, gender and culture – a clear impossibility.

Diversity That Works

Highly functional diverse teams outperform highly functional homogeneous teams. To overcome...