In The Difference, Scott Page reveals that progress and innovation may depend more on diverse people working together and capitalizing on their differences than on lone thinkers with enormous IQs.

Paperback, 456pp

Princeton University Press, August 2005 (First Edition)

ISBN-13: ISBN: 0691138540

Barnes & Noble online price: $16.14

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SYNOPSIS

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.

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING
“The Difference is brimming with so many intriguing insights and findings that I cannot do justice to them all.” -Philip E. Tetlock, Science

[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