BA Thesis – Cognitive Diverse Employees - The Future Competitive Advantage for Organisations
RESEARCH | PROCESS DESIGN | DIVERSITY | HUMAN-CENTRED DESIGN
Type: Case Study
Client: Student Project for BA Thesis Module
Keywords: Cognitive Diversity, Future of Work, Diversity of Thought, Complementary Teams, Design Management, Innovation Processes, Hiring, Recruiting, Human Resources, Heterogeneous & Homogeneous Teams, Change Management
Setup: Individual Work
My Role: Author and practitioner of the entire thesis from research to conception, prototyping till testing
Project Time: 3 months, followed by thesis presentation and interview
Date: 6th Semester, Spring 2018Introduction
The future is unpredictable but continuous innovation will remain a fact of business life. Particularly in the age of machines, people matter more than ever. The importance of versatility in the personal perspective and information processing styles of employees is increasing. Cognitive diversity is a term that needs to be considered when employees are coping with complex work challenges. It can be defined as the difference in how people think, interpret, reason and solve problems. Performed on a high level, cognitive diversity can expedite learning and performance in the face of new, uncertain, and complex situations.
The future is unpredictable but continuous innovation will remain a fact of business life. Particularly in the age of machines, people matter more than ever. The importance of versatility in the personal perspective and information processing styles of employees is increasing. Cognitive diversity is a term that needs to be considered when employees are coping with complex work challenges. It can be defined as the difference in how people think, interpret, reason and solve problems. Performed on a high level, cognitive diversity can expedite learning and performance in the face of new, uncertain, and complex situations.
Challenge
The difficulty is its distinction because the term ‘cognitive diversity’ is less visible than ethnic or gender diversity in the current professional world. I examined the potential of hiring cognitively diverse employees on the backdrop of competitive advantages.
Deliverable
The outcome is ‘The Cognitive Diversity Framework’. The framework is a promising approach to make the first move towards a participatory future. The framework carries a lot of potential to help organisations find their pivotal talents. It raises awareness for diverse teams in organisations. Due to its simple structure and easily applied components, it can be applied in a wide range of organisations regardless of industry, structures, or existing processes. It is a good starting point to make use of a cognitively diverse staff.
The outcome is ‘The Cognitive Diversity Framework’. The framework is a promising approach to make the first move towards a participatory future. The framework carries a lot of potential to help organisations find their pivotal talents. It raises awareness for diverse teams in organisations. Due to its simple structure and easily applied components, it can be applied in a wide range of organisations regardless of industry, structures, or existing processes. It is a good starting point to make use of a cognitively diverse staff.
Conclusion
Organisations need to understand that diversity and inclusion are not just nice-to-have, but instead need to be embedded in their value system. Cognitive diversity encourages a wide range of perspectives, opinions, ideas, and helps organisations drive creativity and innovation. If cognitive diversity is accepted in the future, businesses will be able to adapt faster and more efficiently to economic needs.
