The Difference
Book

The Difference

How the Power of Diversity Creates Better Groups, Firms, Schools, and Societies

Scott E. Page
Princeton UP, 2007
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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Innovative
  • Applicable

Recommendation

Are two heads better than one? Or do too many cooks spoil the broth? For a large class of problems, argues mathematician and social scientist Scott E. Page, two heads are better. That is the benefit of diversity, particularly cognitive diversity. Skeptical? You won't be after you follow Page's methodical, quirky and often funny analysis of diversity's logic. getAbstract recommends this book to readers who want a truly rigorous, formal description of how diversity brings benefits to organizations. Be prepared, however, to encounter much math-speak (for example when he asks readers to "Consider an arbitrary sno-cone design denoted by P"). The author also notes that some of the models showing the impact of diversity that he cites in the book have been tested via computer simulation only, and not in practical settings. Still, Page's results are innovative and beautiful, he maps out inviting avenues for further exploration, and brings welcome clarity to the important and contentious issues raised by human diversity.

Summary

"Diversity Trumps Ability"

During World War II, the Nazis developed “Enigma,” an ingenious, inscrutable code system for encrypting military messages. To decrypt these messages, the British established a code-breaking group using the sort of experts you would expect. But, in addition to the usual mathematicians, the group included many people with less obviously relevant skills: linguists, crossword puzzle-masters, philosophers, historians and even classicists. The result? They had more than a few disagreements, but they cracked the code and saved many lives. In fact, this is not the exception but the rule: Diverse groups solve many problems more effectively than homogeneous groups. Diversity can often overcome inexperience and superior ability (as measured by, say, IQ). Surprisingly, "diversity trumps ability" for solving a large class of problems.

To achieve this remarkable result, not just any kind of diversity will do; the relevant asset is "cognitive" diversity. Different people are equipped with diverse cognitive tools. These tools come from a variety of sources, among them experience, education, temperament, intelligence, ethnicity, gender and age. The tools ...

About the Author

Scott E. Page is Professor of Complex Systems, Political Science and Economics at the University of Michigan, and an external faculty member at the Santa Fe Institute.

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