<p>Common sense says diversity creates barriers as people have trouble finding common ground, since by definition they’re as different as possible. Yet, the corporate world insists that forcing cultural diversity is better than just going with the flow.  What scientific basis is there behind the diversity-is-good claims?</p>

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2022-03-08T18:32:24.923Z
Common sense also says that diverse perspectives can prevent a team from getting locked into a single solution without considering more suitable alternatives. Any reason you choose to neglect that common argument?
Steven Jeuris
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2022-03-08T23:20:24.840Z
@StevenJeuris solutions depend on technical backgrounds, not cultural ones though
Yuri Geinish
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2022-03-09T00:05:55.280Z
@YuriGeinish Are you sure? That seems quite myopic to me.
Bryan Krause
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2022-03-09T00:44:38.663Z
Just noting I disagree with Steven and Bryan here; my prior is the same as Yuri's - I suspect evidence is in favour of technical diversity, neutral on cultural diversity, and detrimental for political/ideological diversity.  I would also be interested in a scientific basis for such claims, as I suspect they may be influenced by affirmative action agendas that are focused on other benefits - ie, not based on workplace effectiveness per se.
Arnon Weinberg
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2022-03-09T07:08:06.350Z
I think the question is definitely interesting and on topic. I was just highlighting a lack of initial research.
Steven Jeuris
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2022-03-09T07:24:25.953Z
In a sense @ArnonWeinberg I agree with Steven and Bryan. Also, I think the comments make the question more interesting than the question standing alone as the question needs clarity in my mind. I wonder what barriers to carrying out their job would be in existence. In a job involving psychology, multiculturalism would enable collaboration to work out cultural differences in play, which may highlight problems. In problem solving, some problems may benefit the different approach used by a different culture to the majority, providing a more efficient solution.
Chris Rogers
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2022-03-09T07:31:24.627Z
Expanding on the comment from @StevenJeuris you said *"Common sense says diversity creates barriers as people have trouble finding common ground"* but didn't elaborate what barriers there are to carrying out the job in hand. How would "common ground" affect employability, work ethic, and employee efficiency?
Chris Rogers
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2022-03-09T21:33:39.657Z
@ChrisRogers people of different cultures can find it awkward to talk to each other. Russians prefer to be direct and disregard feelings in a workplace. Czechs care about workplace feelings a lot. Americans are super-polite to the point another person might completely miss the point, or said American can get offended where the other person was just being honest and direct, and so on. Snowflakes culture vs mentally hardened people and such. People of the same culture understand each other’s emotions better.
Yuri Geinish
<social-psychology>
What are the benefits of cultural diversity in a workplace?
Yuri Geinish
# What are the benefits of cultural diversity in a workplace?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2022-03-08)

Common sense says diversity creates barriers as people have trouble finding common ground, since by definition they’re as different as possible. Yet, the corporate world insists that forcing cultural diversity is better than just going with the flow. What scientific basis is there behind the diversity-is-good claims?

**Tags:** social-psychology

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Common sense also says that diverse perspectives can prevent a team from getting locked into a single solution without considering more suitable alternatives. Any reason you choose to neglect that common argument?  
> **username_0**: @StevenJeuris solutions depend on technical backgrounds, not cultural ones though  
> **username_2**: @YuriGeinish Are you sure? That seems quite myopic to me.  
> **username_3**: Just noting I disagree with Steven and Bryan here; my prior is the same as Yuri's - I suspect evidence is in favour of technical diversity, neutral on cultural diversity, and detrimental for political/ideological diversity.  I would also be interested in a scientific basis for such claims, as I suspect they may be influenced by affirmative action agendas that are focused on other benefits - ie, not based on workplace effectiveness per se.  
> **username_1**: I think the question is definitely interesting and on topic. I was just highlighting a lack of initial research.  
> **username_4**: In a sense @ArnonWeinberg I agree with Steven and Bryan. Also, I think the comments make the question more interesting than the question standing alone as the question needs clarity in my mind. I wonder what barriers to carrying out their job would be in existence. In a job involving psychology, multiculturalism would enable collaboration to work out cultural differences in play, which may highlight problems. In problem solving, some problems may benefit the different approach used by a different culture to the majority, providing a more efficient solution.  
> **username_4**: Expanding on the comment from @StevenJeuris you said *"Common sense says diversity creates barriers as people have trouble finding common ground"* but didn't elaborate what barriers there are to carrying out the job in hand. How would "common ground" affect employability, work ethic, and employee efficiency?  
> **username_0**: @ChrisRogers people of different cultures can find it awkward to talk to each other. Russians prefer to be direct and disregard feelings in a workplace. Czechs care about workplace feelings a lot. Americans are super-polite to the point another person might completely miss the point, or said American can get offended where the other person was just being honest and direct, and so on. Snowflakes culture vs mentally hardened people and such. People of the same culture understand each other’s emotions better.  

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## 0 answers

