Reading on a train, traveling to a two day meeting, I came across the statement that 'diversity raises the intelligence of groups'. Eight people representing six different nationalities were present at our meeting. With a mix of males and females, varied cultural backgrounds and diverse life experiences, we indeed had much diversity represented in our small group.
Did it raise the intelligence of our group? I believe so! We had rich and profitable discussions and I left the meeting encouraged that we had made great progress and good decisions.
It is tempting to surround ourselves with like minded people who understand and agree with our way of thinking, but this may miss the higher level of thinking that comes from diversity. Working in a diverse group does require a little more energy and thoughtfulness as you seek to understand one another, but the benefits are worth it.
Thought to ponder: How diverse is the team you choose to work with?