Driven by Difference: How Great Companies Fuel Innovation Through Diversity

by David Livermore

Today’s workforce is more diverse than ever before. But despite new perspectives and talents, the promise of increased innovation rarely materializes. Why are so few businesses seeing results?

Studies show that diverse teams are more creative than homogenous ones—but only when they are managed effectively. The secret is to minimize conflict while maximizing the informational diversity found in varied values and experiences. To do this, both leaders and team members need a high level of cultural intelligence, or CQ.

Drawing on success stories from Google, Alibaba, Novartis, and other groundbreaking companies, Driven by Difference identifies the management practices necessary to guide multicultural teams to innovation, including how to:

• Create an optimal environment
• Build trust
• Fuse differing perspectives
• Align goals and expectations
• Generate fresh ideas
• Consider the various audiences when selecting and selling an idea
• Design and test for different users

Cultural differences can lead to gridlock, or they can catalyze innovation and growth. This research-based plan turns diversity’s potential into economic reality.

Genres: Business, Leadership, Nonfiction

240 pages, Hardcover

First published February 17, 2016

About the author

DAVID LIVERMORE, PH.D., is president and partner at the Cultural Intelligence Center and a visiting research fellow at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. He has done consulting and training with leaders in 100 countries and is the author of Leading with Cultural Intelligence (978-0-8144-1487-3).

Reviews

[Darren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Businesses are told to celebrate and embrace diversity in the workplace with the promise of new perspectives, innovation and greater success. Yet in far too many cases these promises are not being realised. Why is this? This book aims to look at the problem and offer a solution; it might not be necessarily the solution you expect, but the reality can be better than the expected dream.

Good, quality management and a shared, inspired vision is necessary for success, notes the author, and he draws liberally from many companies who are reaping the benefit of multicultural team working to help the reader transform their workplace. Of course, it is by no means a simple process that can be resolved overnight, yet neither is it an insurmountable problem. There may be many tears and much frustration along the way, made worse by a possible class of cultures and beliefs, yet there can be light at the end of the tunnel. In any case, the author makes a compelling, persuasive argument and has kept hyperbole and impossible dreams at bay with this book. Just mixing up groups of people does not automatically lead to any innovation or improvement, yet a careful nurturing of a diverse group can bring additional perspectives, values, opinions and experiences to the party that itself can lead to better things being developed. Although for this to work, it does need a supporting and nurturing culture to underline it.

Sadly, as a society we are increasingly conditioned to fear the different cultures that we meet, particularly so we don’t create intentional offence. The end result is that people may shy away or mumble platitudes before moving on; losing the benefit of closer interaction and familiarity with those who are “different”. Any attempt to get different cultures living, working, cooperating and developing together can only be good. It does not threaten our own existence or values either. Cultural intelligence and understanding is good, as long as it is not used just as a defensive measure. This is why this reviewer particularly appreciated this book, as it was prepared to have a “grown up conversation” about different cultures. It was not evangelising for the sake of it, but it took a serious, cold look at an important subject that can, for many, be very beneficial.

Overall there was an interesting mix of information and themes coursing through the book. The style was a bit mixed and at times it felt as if it started to go out of focus and tap its primary meaning, nonetheless it is still a worthy, interesting read.

Trust the book and you will find it is about much more than just how to get people from different cultures working together in a company. Read it and discover it for yourself!

[Laurel · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this contains some out of date references (say, the marshmallow experiment which has since had further studies done with differing results), it really is a collection of some common sense items when working with a diverse group. However, common sense for these groups isn't necessarily intuitive. Working with diverse groups is something that needs thought about and practiced - although patience, thoughtfulness, and a sense of decency go a long way in helping.

Common pitfalls and errors are identified and suggestions provided for improvements - a good, basic overview of things to consider when working within a diverse group.

[Batmangoodwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Provides a straight-forward framework to drive innovation growth in organizations by identifying and enhancing cultural intelligence. Prescriptive advice and good examples of success and failure are sprinkled throughout the book to spur your creativity for how you might use the information in your organization. A quick read that is worth your time. Enjoy!

[Cindy McCall]

Quick read. Enjoyed it and always find something to learn from these type books.

[Nathan Hawkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. A must read for leaders committed to healthy collaboration and innovation.

[ALS · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing new, boring, poor references. I couldn't finish it...

[Johnna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Skimmed the second half

[Gordon Kwok · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, this is an interesting book that teaches leaders how to create the conditions where diversity is a positive and can lead to a greater intellectual exchange of ideas and innovation. I would recommend this book to future leaders.

[Prasanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Driven by Difference looks at some of the proven management techniques and principles, but from the lens of cultural diversity and instructs how organizations can best use diversity to come out with innovative solutions. ~ http://bookreviews.infoversant.com/dr...

[Kathy Cowie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is for my May-June review in Global Business and Organizational Excellence.