Rebel Ideas: Matthew Syed

Question 1

What is the main argument of Chapter One regarding diversity in organizations?

Answer 1

Diversity enhances effectiveness and helps organizations tackle modern challenges.

Question 2

What did Professor Chad Sparber’s study find about racial diversity in organizations?

Answer 2

An increase in racial diversity of one standard deviation increased productivity by more than 25%.

Question 3

What was the return on equity difference for firms with high gender and ethnic diversity according to McKinsey?

Answer 3

66% higher in Germany and the UK; 100% higher in the US.

Question 4

How does cultural background affect perception according to the text?

Answer 4

Perception is shaped by culture, not just biology.

Question 5

What did the 2001 experiment by Nisbett and Masuda reveal about Japanese and American participants?

Answer 5

Americans focused on objects; Japanese focused on context.

Question 6

What does the story of the two fish illustrate about awareness?

Answer 6

It illustrates perspective blindness and habitual modes of thought.

Question 7

What is the concept of homophily?

Answer 7

The tendency for people to seek out or be attracted to those who are similar to themselves.

Question 8

What is cognitive diversity?

Answer 8

Differences in thoughts, insights, and perspectives.

Question 9

What is demographic diversity?

Answer 9

Differences in race, gender, and class.

Question 10

What should be the first step when tackling a problem?

Answer 10

‘What are the gaps in our collective understanding that could impact our ability to tackle this problem?’

Question 11

What is the ‘Wisdom of Crowds’?

Answer 11

The concept that a group of diverse individuals can collectively make more accurate predictions than experts.

Question 12

What is a Schelling point?

Answer 12

A focal point solution that people tend to choose by default in the absence of communication.

Question 13

What was the impact of dominance hierarchies on decision-making in organizations?

Answer 13

They prevent rebel ideas from being expressed and create an uneven communication problem.

Question 14

What does the acronym HIPPO stand for?

Answer 14

Highest Paid Person’s Opinion.

Question 15

What is the Uneven Communication Problem?

Answer 15

High-status individuals dominate discussions, skewing group dynamics.

Question 16

What is psychological safety?

Answer 16

A culture that allows individuals to feel safe to express diverse ideas.

Question 17

What technique did Amazon use to encourage diverse opinions in meetings?

Answer 17

Golden silence - 30 minutes of reading before discussions.

Question 18

What is brainwriting?

Answer 18

A technique where individuals write opinions anonymously and share them without identifying themselves.

Question 19

What is assumption reversal?

Answer 19

A creative process that challenges conventional assumptions.

Question 20

What is recombinant innovation?

Answer 20

The fusion of ideas from different fields to create novel solutions.

Question 21

How did immigrants contribute to innovation in companies?

Answer 21

They often adopt an outsider mindset, bridging different cultures.

Question 22

What is the relationship between diversity and the emergence of new ideas?

Answer 22

New ideas emerge from complex interactions within diverse networks.

Question 23

What was the technological state of Tasmania compared to Silicon Valley?

Answer 23

Tasmania had primitive technology due to isolation; Silicon Valley facilitated interactions and innovation.

Question 24

What is recombination in the context of learning?

Answer 24

Recombination is about breaking down barriers between people, allowing for accidental interactions that facilitate learning.

Question 25

Who is Derek Black and what transformation did he undergo?

Answer 25

Derek Black was part of the white supremacy movement who had his ideas transformed while attending Bethel College, demonstrating how smaller colleges can foster social change.

Question 26

What are filter bubbles?

Answer 26

Filter bubbles are a phenomenon where personalization and algorithms limit access to diverse viewpoints.

Question 27

What is the difference between information bubbles and echo chambers?

Answer 27

Information bubbles isolate individuals to only their side of an argument, while echo chambers include epistemic walls that challenge the quality and meaning of information.

Question 28

What is ad hominem?

Answer 28

Ad hominem is a fallacious argumentative strategy that attacks the character or motive of a person instead of the substance of their argument.

Question 29

What is the conceptual flaw discussed in Chapter Six regarding human diversity?

Answer 29

The flaw is treating people as manifestations of a mythical average rather than recognizing human diversity.

Question 30

What was the effect of redesigning cockpits for pilots?

Answer 30

Redesigning cockpits to fit individual body shapes significantly reduced the number of crashes in the US Air Force.

Question 31

What does the diet industry illustrate about individual responses to food?

Answer 31

Blood sugar responses vary greatly among individuals, showing that dietary effects cannot be generalized.

Question 32

What correlation was found regarding browser choice in organizations?

Answer 32

Employees who switched from Internet Explorer or Safari to Chrome or Firefox showed higher productivity and sales.

Question 33

How does the book ‘Invisible Women’ relate to design and gender?

Answer 33

It highlights that many designs, such as piano keys and police body armor, are based on the average male, neglecting women’s needs.

Question 34

What key difference distinguishes Homo sapiens from Neanderthals?

Answer 34

Homo sapiens had larger social groups, which facilitated the density of ideas and skills, giving them an advantage.

Question 35

What is dual inheritance in humans?

Answer 35

Dual inheritance refers to humans inheriting both genes and a growing body of ideas, unlike other primates.

Question 36

What impact does social learning have on children compared to other primates?

Answer 36

Human children excel in social learning, scoring 100% in tests, while most other apes score 0%.

Question 37

What strategy increased the number of female players in major orchestras?

Answer 37

Holding auditions behind screens increased female representation from 5% to nearly 40%.

Question 38

What is groupthink?

Answer 38

Groupthink is a psychological phenomenon where a consensus leads to collective fixation on a specific idea, ignoring alternative viewpoints.

Question 39

What was the decision-making error made during the UK’s lockdown response?

Answer 39

The consensus focused on treating coronavirus like flu, failing to consider its distinct properties.