The Modern Era of Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace: What Google’s Project Aristotle Teaches Us About High Functioning Teams

How do you create high functioning teams in the workplace?  How can you best leverage the talents that employees bring to the table?  Google set out to answer those very questions by turning their formidable data analysis skills on their own workforce.  As reported by the New York Times, Google’s Project Aristotle set out to analyze the highest functioning teams at Google to try and find out how they tick, and the results reveal the unique importance of diversity and inclusion in the modern workplace.

Project Aristotle found that, contrary to accepted wisdom, high functioning teams do not exist simply because they are stacked with the best people.  As explained by one of the Project Aristotle architects, “there was nothing showing that a mix of specific personality types or skills or backgrounds made any difference. The ‘who’ part of the equation didn’t seem to matter.’’  

Instead of focusing on the “who” of the team, Project Aristotle found that looking at the “how” of the teams yielded the most interesting information: how teams communicated and supported each other made all the difference in whether teams were high functioning or not.  Most interestingly, the teams that performed the best created and maintained an environment where team members each felt comfortable contributing, and felt that their contributions were heard and valued.  This fostered an environment where every team member felt safe being his or her whole self, and this sense of safety was critical to creating thriving teams.

We exist in an increasingly demanding work environment, where technology and the demands of the modern marketplace require employees to be “always on.”  As a result, the boundaries between our “work selves” and our “life selves” have become so porous as to be functionally non-existent.  To add to this, our culture as a whole has put an increasing importance on the value of authenticity, the ability to be our whole selves in any given situation. 

These realities were reinforced by the findings of Project Aristotle.  As explained by Charles Duhigg in the New York Times article, “What Project Aristotle has taught people within Google is that no one wants to put on a ‘‘work face’’ when they get to the office. No one wants to leave part of their personality and inner life at home.”

In order to be successful, organizations need to find ways to facilitate a safe environment for their employees to bring their whole selves to the workplace.  Welcome to the modern era of diversity and inclusion.  Building on previous rights-based models of equal opportunity regardless of gender or ethnicity, the contemporary understanding of diversity and inclusion has expanded to encompass diversity in thought, background, and experiences.  And the most successful workplaces find ways to foster this broad understanding of diversity among its employees.

The value of diversity and inclusion efforts has been recognized and reinforced by current research.  For example, a 2015 Bersin by Deloitte study found that companies that link diversity and inclusion efforts to business goals statistically outperform their peers.  And Millennials, the up and coming labor force, place a high value on working for companies with a strong focus on diversity initiatives and inclusive environments.  Simply put, diversity and inclusion make for successful workplaces, both in the present moment and looking towards the future.

As Project Aristotle illustrates, when organizations find ways to allow their employees to bring their whole, diverse selves to the table, the workplace benefits.   This allows organizations to access a deeper bench of talent: innovation thrives when everyone is able to share their diverse opinions and ideas.  And this leads to higher functioning teams and more productive and successful workplaces.

So how do organizations create the kinds of environments where the whole self is welcome?  By taking actions to foster diversity and inclusion.  This includes training leadership and employees in cultural competency, effective communication, developing empathy and making respect a fundamental part of any organizational culture.  Building trust in the workplace is another key element.  And working with a trained workplace mediator to help effectively handle and resolve conflict when it arises helps ensure that organizations can best leverage the opportunities of a diverse and inclusive workplace.

High functioning workplaces exist when employees feel like their whole selves are seen, heard and respected.  Diversity and inclusion initiatives provide a critical roadmap to help organizations create the environments needed for workplaces to thrive.