Going Beyond Diversity

When we think of diversity within an organization, we think of men and women, people of many generations, people from ethnically and racially diverse backgrounds etc. We all understand how important this is to compete in the global marketplace. This however is just one block in creating a world class organization. True diversity must also include diversity in behaviors. One example: Thought - the approach to forming conclusions and making decisions; concern for making the right decision the first time; concern over consequences of decisions, and their bipolar opposites. Individuals who are high thought will most likely prefer to consider many options; prefer time to think things through; prefer an abundance of information to evaluate and may appear indecisive and anxious when pressured to take an immediate decision. Individuals who are low thought (this does not mean they do not think) prefer a quicker decision making process; prefer action over cautious consideration of many options and may appear rash or impulsive when stressed by perceived lack of action by others or complicated risk factors and options.

There is significant value on both extremes of this behavior, but depending on the culture, it is most likely underappreciated or disregarded. Managing diverse behaviors as in this one example is not an easy task but with an insightful leader the results can be considerable.

Because of number of individuals and organizations assessed over the past eight years, it has given us unique insight into individual and corporate behaviors as it relates to our topic. One such example of the power of diversity in behaviors is a large restaurant chain (one billion plus in revenue) in the western US. This could be one of the most diverse groups we have seen. The groups’ behavior traits range from one end of the spectrum to the other (literally from very low lows to very high highs). Tough to manage but here is the result: In an economy that has been less than favorable for the restaurant industry as a whole and market segment that has its competitor’s revenues down by as much as 9.5%, this group has increased comp store growth by 3.7%; far better than all their competitors. Rather remarkable for an organization of its size.

Although we have given you just one behavioral component (thought), imagine the power and impact of a wide range of diverse behaviors on any organization, regardless of size. The restaurant example above may provide you with some insight as to the result.

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