Rebel Ideas: The Power of Diverse Thinking by Matthew Syed
How do you create a great team?
What makes true cohesion and how do you create the right combination of skills in team members?
This bestseller examines the power of 'cognitive diversity' - the ability to think differently about the world around us.
Prof. Nicola Kleyn, dean of the Gordon Institute of Business Science, discusses the book.
This was my favourite book over December. It has special resonance because we speak so much on diversity - we produce an employment equity plan. And this really gave me cause for thinking what is truly a diverse group.
Nicola Kleyn, dean - the Gordon Institute of Business Science
First of all his construction of - what is a diverse team and why does it matter - he actually says if you call it a diverse team nobody would buy it. He calls this rebel thinking - his idea is - in order to really solve problems, you need to bring together a group of people - he talks about rebels with a cause. You need to bring about a diverse group referencing their experience, their networks. I think sometimes we use as proxy race and gender for diversity. I'm not suggesting for a moment that groups should not be diverse in terms of race and gender. But what he talks about is cognitive diversity - the need for people with multiple thinking patterns to come together.
Nicola Kleyn, dean - the Gordon Institute of Business Science

Listen to the full book discussion below.
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