Rebel Ideas summary

Consider this hypothesis: if the fastest relay team can be created by cloning Usain Bolt, then the most accurate team of economists can be created by cloning the world’s most competent forecaster. Makes sense, doesn’t it?

Although the statement above seems logical, it’s incorrect. Tackling complex problems demands more than just intelligence and skill. It demands diversity. And this diversity shouldn’t be limited to demographic attributes, like gender, race, age, sexual orientation or religion. It must be a diversity of the mind, or cognitive diversity, something we wouldn’t achieve by cloning our genius forecaster, since we’d be replicating the same brain.

Have you ever been in a meeting with your stomach in knots because you disagree with what your boss is saying but don’t feel comfortable objecting? Or perhaps you have a brilliant idea to contribute, but between your manager and your assertive colleague, it’s impossible to get a word in edgewise.

These scenarios are common in even the most inclusive workplaces because of dominance hierarchy. In any group situation, either a leader will be appointed or one will emerge. And because humans have been operating under hierarchical social structures for thousands of generations, we often don’t even notice them. But these structures are a menace to cognitive diversity because they silence non-leaders, just like you were silenced in your meeting. Unless leaders foster open communication, ideas like yours are lost.

What do Ariana Huffington, Sergey Brin and Elon Musk have in common? Well, they’re all successful entrepreneurs based in the US but they have something else in common too. They were either born outside the US or their parents were. And being an outsider primes the human brain for innovative thinking.

Innovation can occur slowly over time – as it does when a species evolves – or it can happen quickly when two concepts collide in an exciting and unexpected way. People who aren’t frequently outside their comfort zones are less likely to experience these bursts of inspiration, because their minds have settled into what’s familiar. This is why many influential innovators and entrepreneurs are migrants, or children of migrants, since they’re not accustomed to the quirks and characteristics of their new homeland.

Imagine you arrive at a party where you only know a few workmates. You’re excited by the prospect of meeting new people. But when you leave a few hours later, you realize you didn’t speak to anyone you didn’t already know. You had a great night, but you didn’t expand your social circle.

It’s part of human nature to seek out people we identify with. Ironically, the broader our social options, the less likely we are to form diverse friendship groups. And while it’s natural to gravitate towards people with similar interests and values, it means we’re at risk of ending up in an echo chamber.

Imagine you’re at a friend’s house and someone accidentally spills a jug of juice on you. Your friend lends you some clean clothes but they don’t fit. This is strange because you’re both the same height and a similar weight.

Clothing is just one of many daily encounters we have with standardization. Since few of us can afford a bespoke wardrobe, we purchase clothes in predetermined sizes. But body shapes are diverse, even within a specific size range, which is why your friend’s clothes might not fit you.

There’s something very special about learning to read as a child. For many of us, books were an excuse to snuggle into a warm lap while an adult brought meaning to squiggles on a page. Slowly, those squiggles became letters, then words, then sentences, leading to that wonderful moment when we could read independently.

This ability to learn new skills from others sets our species apart. But if we really want to build our collective intelligence – the combined intelligence of a group – we must overcome bias.