Diverse Teams Drive Innovation

February 1, 2018

Did you happen to see the Grammy Awards earlier this week? During the show, Bruno Mars received six Grammy’s including “Best Album” and “Record of the Year.” Very impressive, right? I love his music and wasn’t surprised by all the accolades.

What surprised me the most was when he and his team went to the stage to accept the award, it was such an ethnically diverse group. His team consisted of a mixture of Black, White, Asian and Hispanic individuals.
During Bruno Mars’ acceptance speech, he proudly acknowledged his diverse team and how collectively they had created the song, “That’s What I Like.” One by one he brought visibility to his talented musical posse by calling out each of their names. He also shared with the audience that they have been working together for more than 10 years. In essence, Bruno Mars confirmed that diversity drives innovation.

Fact is, diversity does unlock innovation by creating an environment where “outside of the box” ideas are heard. Organizations can generate breakthrough ideas and provide the best business solutions by bringing diverse perspectives to the table. Innovation also is critical to sustaining organic growth and securing success in a globally competitive environment. And diversity becomes an even more valuable resource for innovation through a diverse workforce that reflects the marketplace through consumer insights.

For example, a few years ago, I was in a business meeting and the presenter was excitedly sharing an HR recruiting campaign entitled, “Birds of a Feather.” They had already developed a few of the marketing materials, including a little box that included various cute feathers. As the only minority in the room, I pointed out that the message “birds of a feather” could be viewed negatively as, in my mind, it promoted “exclusion” versus “inclusion.” The campaign was eventually cancelled. However, I sometimes wonder what would have happened from a branding perspective, if I hadn’t shared my view.

It’s been proven that diverse companies have higher sales. For every 1 percent in gender and racial diversity, there is a three to nine percent sales boost. In addition, companies with the highest levels of racial diversity brought in nearly 15 times more revenue than those with the lowest levels.

We have the best chance of breaking new ground when we combine concepts from different cultures, disciplines, and perspectives.

Thank you, Bruno Mars, for reminding us of how great products are generated by diverse thought. Congratulations and hats off to you and your diverse team for producing such a great body of musical work!

Don’t believe me, just watch his acceptance speech