A new lens on thinking differently
When teachers announce a group project, the groans are often audible. There’s just something about working with other people that can cause that reaction. It’s crucial for leaders to better understand what’s behind the reluctance, because in the working world, the truly impactful projects are almost always group projects. That’s because teaming, no matter how hard it can be, helps us think more fully and act with more impact. It turns out, great minds don’t always think alike.
When teaming optimizes cognitive diversity, it can maximize the potential for better outcomes. Demographic diversity has been shown by itself to spark creativity and innovation. But simply gathering a diverse group of individuals is not enough. Without the right environment and intentional interactions, we can lose the benefits that diversity offers. In fact, in the BCG BrightHouse 2023 Global DEI Leadership Survey, leaders agreed that diverse teams are more creative, more engaged, and perform better. However, they also pointed to numerous challenges that hinder effective, diverse teaming.
From lack of clear communication to lack of a common vision, leaders can identify the challenges that hinder teaming, and they understand there’s room for improvement. In a BCG Survey of 1,700 companies in eight countries, they found 75% of leaders said diversity was gaining momentum in their organization, but fewer than 40% said that diverse characteristics describe their company. The good news is, those companies who did report above-average diversity had above-average innovation revenue results to show for it — 19 percentage points higher.
In partnership with our Luminary-in-residence, Dr. Karen Yu, we’re exploring impactful interventions to help unleash the full potential of diverse teams. Doing so would be a game changer, and we have evidence that one of the key levers is cultivating an environment where we can all be more kind to our minds.
Cognitive diversity: What impacts our ways of thinking ?
First, let’s explore what we mean by “cognitive diversity.” BCG BrightHouse defines cognitive diversity as the different ways we think — how we learn differently from each other, understand the same work differently, solve problems in ways others can’t, imagine in ways others wouldn’t dream, and make meaning of it all. In our first white paper, “Expanding the Aperture on DE&I with Cognitive Diversity” we shared how cognitive diversity can be shaped by a combination of factors, including demographic diversity, neurodiversity, cognitive skills, and individual lived and learned experiences.
01 | Demographic diversity includes the “Big Eight” identifiers (i.e., age, gender, ethnicity, race, religion, sexual orientation, class, mental and physical abilities).
02 | Neurodiversity and cognitive skills include unique ways in which people’s brains work (e.g., dyslexia, ADHD, autism) as well as the mental processes involved in the acquisition of knowledge, manipulation of information, and reasoning (e.g., memory, learning, attention).
03 | Lived and learned experiences include qualities that result from a particular group of identities (e.g., first-generation, caregiver to family) or are acquired through practice, opportunity, or exposure (e.g., community activist, concert pianist).
Introducing cognitive kindness
“Cognitive kindness is about finding ways to be kind to one another’s minds. It’s in service of both the ideas that we can produce, and a broader sense of cognitive justice. So that each person’s thinking — and every single person — is really valued and empowered.”
– Dr. Karen Yu, September 18, 2014
Cognitive kindness, as conceptualized by cognitive psychologist Dr. Karen Yu, emphasizes a generosity of spirit toward others’ minds and our own. It emerges from the belief that our cognitive abilities — our ways of thinking and processing — are among our most valuable resources. Yet, we often don’t treat them that way. Cognitive kindness offers us an opportunity to do better — to apply what science tells us about how our minds work to design processes, structures, and ways of being with each other that effectively encourage and empower each person’s best thinking. Cognitive kindness invites the question: What is possible when we truly prize good thinking and actively cultivate the conditions that promote it?
Cognitive kindness + Cognitive diversity:
A powerful combination
Cognitive kindness can play an important and perhaps necessary role in getting the most out of our teams. By encouraging us to consider what can empower each person’s best thinking, cognitive kindness also directs our attention to how this might differ across people.
While cognitive diversity can bring a multiplicity of perspectives and ideas, it can also increase tension. Whether that tension is productive or not depends largely on the extent to which the environment and ways of working embody a genuine understanding and respect for individual minds and their needs.
Different people thrive in different environments, under different conditions. Some may excel in high-energy brainstorming sessions, while others may need time to reflect and then formulate ideas. And there are other cognitive differences, both across individuals and for any given individual. When we apply cognitive kindness, we create conditions where these differences are respected and nurtured, ultimately leading to more impactful and valuable outcomes.
Practical interventions that unleash the full cognitive potential of diverse teams:
Make thinking visible: Our cultural and societal focus on visible measures of productivity — speed, quantity of output, and efficiency — can come at the cost of creative and innovative thinking, which is often largely invisible. It is critical to make thinking more visible by intentionally discussing and facilitating our ways of thinking alongside project goals and metrics. Here is the good news: better thinking can mean better outputs and more meaningful impact.
Consider ways of thinking when developing ways of working: Teams canbenefit from understanding different ways of thinking when planning their team norms, assigning tasks, and navigating tensions. For example, some individuals may excel at big-picture thinking while others thrive on detail-oriented tasks. Recognizing these strengths and preferences enhances collaboration and helps us grow and expand our own ways of thinking. Hear about our previous workshops on teaming like a symphony with Okorie Johnson on our Bright Insights Podcast.
Expect and democratize contribution: It’s not enough for someone to have a seat at the table, or even in the boardroom. Power differentials and social pressures can still prevent people from contributing and affect the impact of those contributions. Teams can overcome these challenges by encouraging anonymous contributions or multiple modalities of communication. This creates a more inclusive and psychologically safe environment for diverse thinking that increases the likelihood that everyone’s ideas are in the mix and thoughtfully considered.
Bring divergence before convergence: Studies suggest that one of the biggest challenges to innovation and good decision making is committing too early to a small set of options — effectively, closing off possibilities. Ensure that teams have the opportunity to explore a wide range of ideas and perspectives before narrowing down decisions. Divergent thinking allows for greater creativity and innovation, while convergence can then synthesize the best of those ideas. Happily, intervention 3, expecting and democratizing contributions, is a powerful contributor to increasing divergent thinking.
Liberate cognitive capacity by building trust: Social concerns and considerations can take up more of our cognitive capacity than we realize, leaving less mental room to devote to idea generating. When people feel secure in their environment, they are less burdened by social concerns and can dedicate more cognitive resources to their work. Once cultivated, trust also helps manage tension and differences when they crop up. That’s why developing trust and creating a culture of belonging are essential to cognitive kindness.
A path to brighter thinking
By integrating cognitive kindness with cognitive diversity, we open up new avenues for collaboration and innovation. Cognitive kindness fosters an environment where the cognitive diversity that already exists in teams can truly thrive. It acknowledges that each individual’s way of thinking is a valuable resource and encourages organizations to support their teams in ways that maximize their potential.
Our work with Dr. Karen Yu continues to push the boundaries of what it means to nurture cognitive diversity in the workplace. As we move forward, we remain committed to helping organizations create environments where every mind can thrive — enabling not just better ideas, but better lives.
Through cognitive kindness, we believe we can unleash the full potential of cognitive diversity, paving the way for a more creative, inclusive, and ultimately more productive future.