Video: Does diversity boost academic performance?

Research shows that, when approached correctly, diversity and inclusion can increase creativity and the problem-solving ability of groups, and lead to better academic performance. Professor Victoria Plaut, a behavioural scientist who studies diversity and a panellist at the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2014, explains that some of the tools we can use to unleash the benefits of diversity often produce surprising results.

Here are some quotes from the clip, and you can watch the full video at the top of this page.

On the benefits of diversity

Diversity used in the right way can help power innovation.

When we look at laboratory studies that manipulate the composition of groups, what we see is once again the benefit of diversity, such that groups that are not homogeneous – groups where there are people different from you – cause you to actually think more and think more complexly, to work harder, to prepare better … and those end up resulting in better team performance.

It turns out that people also individually benefit from diversity; for example, research suggests that people who live in different countries – so expats – actually end up becoming more creative, according the standard measures of creativity.

On the challenges of harnessing the power of diversity

Diversity is not always easy. And, as it turns out, what the literature also suggests is that in order to reap the benefits of diversity, you have to make sure you provide it with a supportive context.

On the importance of a sense of belonging

We like to think that science is science and that if only people have motivation and preparation, they will join the club; this is a nice thought but, in reality, when you look at the research, it’s a bit more complicated than that. And it turns out that a sense of belonging may be a key driver for both participation and performance.

On the falsity of stereotypes

In the literature, we see a few different stereotypes of scientists: number one is male, usually white, though that is changing. We also see a stereotype, depending on the field, of geeky – geeky means socially awkward, singularly obsessed with whatever their science is, doesn’t do much else with their life – which leads to another stereotype, which is that science is not collaborative, that science is only something that people do alone, which as we know is not quite accurate, though of course scientists can differ a lot in terms of how much they collaborate. And, finally, that scientists don’t always do something that’s relevant to the world, that they don’t always do something that is important to solve social problems, which we also know is untrue.

On the effect of surroundings on attitude

We sometimes also refer to it as ‘talking walls’ – we shouldn’t forget that the walls and the structure of the environment can help to create behavioural change and behavioural decision.

On breaking down negative stereotypes

Another study that was done looked at the stereotype of science as non-collaborative and its effects on women. And what they found was just the simple act of having women read about a day in the life of a scientist that was full of collaboration and interactions with other people, as opposed to one that wasn’t, was enough to increase women’s desire to participate in science.

On the benefits of mentoring

The importance of mentoring in science I think cannot be overstated. If you look, for example, at science education, having a mentor often unlocks so many opportunities in science for a student. It can teach a student what opportunities are out there; it can get them letters of recommendation; it can teach them important research skills by working in that mentor’s laboratory, for example.

Author: Victoria Plaut is Professor of Law and Social Science, School of Law, University of California, Berkeley, USA

Image: Brazil team members clasp hands before their women’s preliminary round basketball game against Jamaica at the Pan American Games in Guadalajara October 22, 2011. REUTERS/Mariana Bazo