Canadian Lawyer

18 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 7 w w w . C A N A D I A N L a w y e r m a g . c o m With that exchange, I was gifted with the inspiration for this article. While our profession has been having the conversa- tion about diversity among our ranks, we have moved too slowly at acknowledg- ing, much less embracing, the multitude of obvious and nuanced benefits that diverse decision-makers and staff bring to inclusive workplaces. Prominent among these benefits is that diversity is an indis- pensable key to unlocking organizational creativity and innovation. Innovation is often defined as "the generation and introduction of new ideas, which lead to the development of new products and services, processes and sys- tems in all areas of activity." We know with great certainty that diverse and inclu- sive organizations have higher financial returns. However, how can we know that innovation germinates more readily in diverse and inclusive workplaces? As my friend seems to be articulating in our chat a few months back, if you support your staff, somehow the spark of creativity will be ignited on its own. While I certainly agree that a support- ive workplace culture allows people to grow and prosper, it does little toward sparking creativity and innovation. People who are like-minded from similar back- grounds and experiences often develop similar and narrow solutions. This type of "groupthink" insulates the organization from outside opinions and, as a result, can easily hinder the growth of a crucial element in innovation — new ideas. This is precisely what Walter Lippmann was referring to when he said: "When all think alike, then no one is thinking." In the modern era, people inherently crave a diversity of ideas and experiences, particularly those innovators among us. While sameness is comfortable, we know through social media, and its countless opinions on every topic, that we want to know different, new and alternative modes of doing things. It sparks that cre- ative fire inside of us. Research The relationship between diversity and innovation has been the subject of a vast amount of research. Broadly speaking, diverse teams and organizations, particu- larly those at the decision-making level, surpass homogenous workplaces. In addi- tion to the persuasive research in this area, as lawyers, we know this intrinsi- cally. By increasing the number of diverse perspectives around the table from individuals with substantially var- ied lived experiences, teams can develop better and more effective solutions. In a 2013 European Union research paper entitled "Diversity and Innovation: A Business Oppor- tunity for All," a literature review cited a number of ways in which diversity sup- ports innovation: 1. Flexibility, creativity and the ability to innovate are enhanced by the existence of dissimilar mindsets; that is to say that like-minded people make like-mind- ed decisions, limiting the breadth and depth of innovative and creative thinking (Ozbilgin 2008). 2. While situations where individuals and groups find their existing mindsets, beliefs and knowledge sets challenged will produce effective learning, this is more likely to happen when there is a diverse mix of participants and an environment in which all individuals feel their views are valued. 3. Diversity can contribute to more effective decision-making and problem- solving capability by providing a diverse range of perspectives, a broader spec- trum of expertise and more robust criti- cal evaluation (Bassett-Jones, 2005). 4. Teams characterized by diversity have the capability to access broader networks of relationships, cultural capi- tal and bicultural competence and bring these assets into the innovation process. Increased productivity, innovation and creativity are about making effective use of this capacity. Academia has also produced research showing that gender diversity improves innovation. For instance, a 2010 study in the journal Science entitled "Evidence for a collective intelligence factor in the per- formance of human groups" compared two groups that were asked to complete a set of cognitive tasks concerning "puzzles, ome months back, I had an interaction with a part- ner at a Toronto mid-sized firm that went something like this: Partner: "Hey, you're that guy who works on diver- sity with the lawyers." Naveen: "Yes. Nice to meet you. Diversity, inclusion and strategic organizational change management. I'm Naveen Mehta. You are?" Partner: "[. . .], great to meet you. Listen, nothing against diver- sity, but that additional layer would add unnecessary operational costs to our firm, our size. It's unnecessary. We just look for the best lawyers we can find who fit and support them. The stuff about diversity being important to innovation is a nice thought, but it's unproven in the legal world." @naveenpmehta L E G A L I N N O VAT I O N N O W O P I N I O N Innovation needs diversity S Most creative ideas do not come from 'great thinkers' toiling alone but from diverse teams By Naveen Mehta

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