“Collaboration and knowledge-sharing are not just important, they’re EVERYTHING,” says Dr. Kat Lutz of The Jackson Laboratory. Recently, I had the honor of speaking at the Laboratory’s Quarterly Leadership event. JAX is one of the world’s leading biomedical research institutions, pioneering the search for tomorrow’s cures.
Solving the most complex problems requires more than just one brilliant mind; it demands a collective effort—a team that is collaborative, diverse, psychologically safe, and agile. Many believe that diversity drives superior performance, especially in innovation, because diverse members bring different perspectives essential for breakthroughs. However, research into diversity has revealed an uncomfortable truth: diverse teams do not automatically lead to better outcomes. In fact, they often underperform unless certain conditions are met.
A study conducted by Harvard scholars Amy Edmondson and Henrik Bresman analyzed 62 teams from six major pharmaceutical companies. They explored the relationship between team diversity, psychological safety, and overall performance. The findings showed that, on average, diversity slightly hindered performance. However, when combined with high levels of psychological safety, the most successful teams were those rich in diversity. Another striking revelation was that the vast majority of teams—84%—were not psychologically safe.
Psychological safety is crucial not only for diverse teams to excel but is a cornerstone for all high-performing teams. To fully leverage the benefits of diversity, it’s imperative to cultivate an environment where each team member feels psychologically safe—a place where expressing ideas without fear of embarrassment or reprisal is a common belief.
How can we create such an environment? Edmondson suggests starting simple:
- Ask each person what they think.
- Show appreciation for different viewpoints as valuable assets.
- Use meetings more for sharing information than making decisions.
By doing so, we can unlock the benefits of diversity, ensuring that every team member can contribute their best ideas and drive innovation forward.
Dr. Mark DeVolder is a Top Change Management & Transformation Expert, Award Winning Motivational Keynote Speaker Empowering Confidence through Change. Mark can teach you how to change, anticipate business trends and accelerate future-proof transformation. He’s done it before with industry leaders like Qatar Petroleum, PepsiCo, Royal Bank of Canada and Bristol-Myers Squibb.
