The Difference: How the Power of Diversity Creates Better Groups, Firms, Schools, and Societies [Hardcover]

Scott E. Page (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 15, 2007

In this landmark book, Scott Page redefines the way we understand ourselves in relation to one another. The Difference is about how we think in groups--and how our collective wisdom exceeds the sum of its parts. Why can teams of people find better solutions than brilliant individuals working alone? And why are the best group decisions and predictions those that draw upon the very qualities that make each of us unique? The answers lie in diversity--not what we look like outside, but what we look like within, our distinct tools and abilities.

The Difference reveals that progress and innovation may depend less on lone thinkers with enormous IQs than on diverse people working together and capitalizing on their individuality. Page shows how groups that display a range of perspectives outperform groups of like-minded experts. Diversity yields superior outcomes, and Page proves it using his own cutting-edge research. Moving beyond the politics that cloud standard debates about diversity, he explains why difference beats out homogeneity, whether you're talking about citizens in a democracy or scientists in the laboratory. He examines practical ways to apply diversity's logic to a host of problems, and along the way offers fascinating and surprising examples, from the redesign of the Chicago "El" to the truth about where we store our ketchup.

Page changes the way we understand diversity--how to harness its untapped potential, how to understand and avoid its traps, and how we can leverage our differences for the benefit of all.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Rather than ponder moral questions like, 'Why can't we all get along?' Dr. Page asks practical ones like, 'How can we all be more productive together?' The answer, he suggests, is in messy, creative organizations and environments with individuals from vastly different backgrounds and life experiences.
(Claudia Dreifus New York Times )

The Difference is brimming with so many intriguing insights and findings that I cannot do justice to them all.
(Philip E. Tetlock Science )

In The Difference, Page reveals how groups that display a range of perspectives outperform groups of like-minded experts. Diversity yields superior outcomes, and he proves it using his own cutting-edge research. Moving beyond the politics that often clouds standard debates about diversity, Page explains why difference beats out homogeneity. And he examines practical ways to apply diversity's logic to a host of problems.
(Here is the City )

This is a fascinating and important book.... The Difference is a thought-provoking and stimulating read.
(Diane Coyle Business Economist )

[Page] redefines the way we understand ourselves in relation to one another. The Difference is about how we think in groups...and how our collective wisdom exceeds the sum of its parts. Why can teams of people find better solutions than brilliant individuals working alone? And why are the best group decisions and predictions those that draw upon the very qualities that make each of us unique? The answers lie in diversity...not what we look like outside, but what we look like within, our distinct tools and abilities.
(Education Digest )

Page has written a book that offers a pragmatic defense of diversity practices, where having a diverse set of points of view in a group equates to better decision making. The book . . .illustrates the benefits of a different way of thinking about problem solving, providing people with conceptual tools to understand what lies behind some of the more popular treatments of topics and to reshape the public debate about the benefits and disadvantages of diversity.
(Henry Farrell Quality World )

Review

Scott Page has brought to our attention a practically important proposition: diversity of viewpoints is of the greatest importance in solving the problems that face us individually and collectively. Diversity among a group of problem solvers is more important than individual excellence. Page's exposition remarkably combines lightness and breadth of knowledge with rigor and evidence.
(Kenneth J. Arrow, Nobel Prize-winning economist )

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 448 pages
• Publisher: Princeton University Press (January 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0691128383
• ISBN-13: 978-0691128382
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #842,093 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Scott E. Page is Professor of Complex Systems, Political Science, and Economics at the University of Michigan and an external faculty member at the Santa Fe Institute. He is the coauthor of "Complex Adaptive Systems" (Princeton).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A compelling argument for diversity, May 25, 2007

By 

Rolf Dobelli "getAbstract" (Switzerland) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Difference: How the Power of Diversity Creates Better Groups, Firms, Schools, and Societies (Hardcover)

Are two heads better than one? Or do too many cooks spoil the broth? For a large class of problems, argues mathematician and social scientist Scott E. Page, two heads are better. That is the benefit of diversity, particularly cognitive diversity. Skeptical? You won't be after you follow Page's methodical, quirky and often funny analysis of diversity's logic. We recommend this book to readers who want a truly rigorous, formal description of how diversity brings benefits to organizations. Be prepared, however, to encounter much math-speak (for example when he asks readers to "Consider an arbitrary sno-cone design denoted by P"). The author also notes that some of the models showing the impact of diversity that he cites in the book have been tested via computer simulation only, and not in practical settings. Still, Page's results are innovative and beautiful, he maps out inviting avenues for further exploration, and brings welcome clarity to the important and contentious issues raised by human diversity.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars New Horizons in Diversity, March 20, 2007

By 

Henry Lee Allen "social physics" (Wheaton, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Difference: How the Power of Diversity Creates Better Groups, Firms, Schools, and Societies (Hardcover)

Diversity matters, in law, in politics, in employment, in criminology, in sports, in media or entertainment, and in residential neighborhoods! But how? Why? When? Where? Under what conditions? For whom? These are the salient questions or issues addressed cogently by Professor Scott E. Page, using mathematical logic and rigorous empirical research. Instead of relying on vain rhetoric, legal gymnastics, simplistic anecdotes, and stylized moral platitudes, Page engages our thinking about diversity matters (such as affirmative action) with game theory and a plethora of experimental findings. Firstly, he contends convincingly (given the preponderance of the evidence cited) that diversity often matters more in problem-solving or in stimulating tangible innovations than reliance on individual ability alone. Secondly, he asserts that "the benefits of diversity also apply within individuals." In short, Page demonstrates that diversity is one of the most potent social forces available to human beings, vastly superior to the typical provincialism of homogeneity.

Page urges us to ponder the implications of diverse mindsets, toolkits, heuristics, and outcomes. Amazingly, he instantiates these complicated ideas into plausible theorems that constructively guide the reader's assessments. Obviously, the United States and many nations around the world have incorporated increasing, albeit exponential, levels of complexity and diversity due to immigration and ethnic heterogeneity. Given the demographic trends that are influencing the future of populations in societies worldwide, Page has taken us where angels and traditional intellectuals fear to venture! He points us to the positive potential of diversity as it is negotiated within schools, firms, and societies. This monograph ought not to be dismissed by any rigorous scholar, policymaker, community leader, and citizen grappling with the perplexities of diversity in the 21st century. It empowers!

19 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Scott Page's writing is fresh, thoughtful and provocative. This book is a dash of pepper., June 26, 2007

By 

D. Stuart "Researcher at Kudos" (Auckland NZ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Difference: How the Power of Diversity Creates Better Groups, Firms, Schools, and Societies (Hardcover)

Viva la Difference! Scott Page takes us on a really enagaging tour that examines why diversity matters. You thought the subject was simple? Well it is if you think in terms of the usual ways we pigeon-hole each other (gender, race) but as Page quickly shows us - diversity can be framed in many, many more ways: and more than that - he can show proof after proof for why it makes a positive difference.

What I love is his entertaining command of language, his knowledge of the subject and his clear enthusiasm for the topic. This is one of those books that, alongside the likes of Blink, Wisdom of Crowds and Tipping Point, deserves wide reading and social influence. In many ways it is an unabashed (and welcome) celebration of human-ness. Recommended.