Everyone, for the most part, understands the importance of recognizing racial and gender diversity in the workplace, says Susan Cain, but personality diversity is not something that gets much attention.
“I really see this question of introverts and extroverts as the next big diversity issue of our time,” said Cain, the author of Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking.
“… we really don’t talk about the case for personality diversity and the ways in which we really, deeply need the talents of the more out-there gregarious people, but we also need the talents of the quiet, careful thinkers,” she said. “If there’s any field that needs it, it’s the field of healthcare.”
Cain is the keynote speaker on June 19 during the Healthcare Financial Management Association’s ANI 2013 in Orlando, Fla. During her presentation, she will make the case for rethinking how personality – and gaining an appreciation for the strengths and talents of introverts – can improve company leadership, decision making, workplace relationships, conflict resolution processes and creativity.
[See also: Reading List: Steven Dinkin, 'The Exchange Strategy for Managing Conflict in Health Care'.]
Take for example, the push in healthcare toward more teamwork. As Cain notes in her writing, while organizations today seem to believe that creativity is sourced by gregarious workplaces, research suggests that people are more creative when they have space to think alone than when they are in groups.
Consider the brainstorming meetings that are so ubiquitous in the work environment. What usually happens in meetings – whether specifically for brainstorming or not – is that the majority of the group is dominated by one or two of the most assertive people and everyone goes along with whatever solutions or ideas are offered by those people. “And yet there’s no correlation between being the most charismatic person in the room and having the best idea at any given moment,” she said.
“I’m not saying that teams are problematic in and of themselves,” Cain cautioned.
And teamwork – in particular the sharing of information and coordination of care – is especially important in healthcare, she said, but the work of say, coming up with a diagnosis, may not happen – nor need to happen – in a group.
“We need to be smarter and more strategic about where we apply teams,” she said, and be more aware of how personality diversity affects workplace operations.