To link to: causality on graphs, getting along, swarm sensing, voting systems, democracy, groupthink. 🏗
Possibly diversity and tolerance is not just an intrinsic moral good, but may pay literal dividends in terms of avoiding groupthink and being ore effective etc. What are the conditions for this happy state?
When do group decisions embody the wisdom of crowds and when groupthink?
Does diversity help attain wisdom? Sometimes, it seems. Scott Page calls this the diversity dividend. Quantifying when and how it works is of interest to me.
There is some famous Google research here (not peer-reviewed, mind).
Google: Foster psychological safety
Of the five key dynamics of effective teams that the researchers identified, psychological safety was by far the most important. The Google researchers found that individuals on teams with higher psychological safety are less likely to leave Google, they’re more likely to harness the power of diverse ideas from their teammates, they bring in more revenue, and they’re rated as effective twice as often by executives.
McKinsey report, Vivian Hunt, Dennis Layton, and Sara Prince: Why diversity matters:
While correlation does not equal causation (greater gender and ethnic diversity in corporate leadership doesn’t automatically translate into more profit), the correlation does indicate that when companies commit themselves to diverse leadership, they are more successful.
(They could possibly have done better than that mealy-mouthed correlation phrasing if they wanted via causal analysis.)
Other random readings: Chris Dillow, diversity trumps ability.
The new Matthew Syed book (titled Rebel Ideas or Superteams depending where you are) apparently covers some of this material. (Syed 2020)
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