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Diverse Ethics - Atul Shah - Wisdom Blog

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GROUP THINK - SAFETY WARNING

Groups have many advantages. They have like-minded members, people who think and act similarly, and as a result groups can become harmonious and more effective if everyone is alike - or do they? Could it be that we think we are more comfortable in a like-minded group, but as time passes, we often experience bullying and harassment, and narrow-minded views and opinions. Also when groups lie at the top of a pyramid, and have considerable power through status and hierarchy, the more like-minded they are, the less they will be able to control risk and balance decision-making.

Research shows that group think can have quite dangerous consequences. Especially when the group has a lot of power and influence. An extreme example is Hitler - he was able to persuade a large group of people that it is important to clean the Aryan race and exterminate the Jews. Hitler's group never challenged his thinking, or if people did, they were unsuccessful.

Diversity is an antidote to group think. It creates space in the group for challenge and creativity. Sometimes, the most basic assumptions are questioned by people who are different, and these challenges can lead to totally new solutions and creative insights. This is the heart of innovation, and a major reason why diversity is an asset, and similarity, a disadvantage, especially in roles of leadership, management and strategy.

It is also possible that like-minded groups are not very resilient and cannot cope with uncertainty. Take the recent economic recession as an example - Asia is booming while Europe is struggling. If there were Asians on the marketing team, it is possible that they would open links to Asian markets and this can help the company weather the recession. So diversity is very useful at adapting to risk and uncertainty.

Article added on 30th January 2012 at 4:29pm