How diversity makes teams more innovative | Rocío Lorenzo | TED

翻译人员: Jessica Chen 校对人员: Chuying Zhou

15年前,

Fifteen years ago,

I thought that the diversity stuff was not something I had to worry about.

我以为多元 化之类的问题 不是我需要担心的事

It was something an older generation had to fight for.

它们是老一辈要为之斗争的东西

In my university, we were 50-50, male-female,

在我的大学里， 我们刚刚一半男性和一半女性

and we women often had better grades.

而且我们女生经常 拿到更好的成绩

So while not everything was perfect,

所以虽然不是所有事都是完美的

diversity and leadership decisions

多元性和领导性决定

was something that would happen naturally over time, right?

是会随着时间 自然而然发生的，对吗？

Well, not quite.

唔，不完全是

While moving up the ladder working as a management consultant

随着工作上升到一个

across Europe and the US,

跨欧洲和美国的管理顾问，

I started to realize how often I was the only woman in the room

我开始意识到我 很多时候是房间里唯一的女性

and how homogenous leadership still is.

以及领导层仍然是多么的单性别

Many leaders I met

许多我遇到的领导者

saw diversity as something to comply with out of political correctness,

把多元化视为符合政治正确性的东西

or, best case, the right thing to do,

或者，最好的情况下，正确的事

but not as a business priority.

但不是一个企业重点

They just did not have a reason to believe

他们就是没有原因去相信

that diversity would help them achieve their most immediate, pressing goals:

多元性会帮助他们达成 他们最迫切的、紧急的目标：

hitting the numbers, delivering the new product,

达到业绩，推出新产品，

the real goals they are measured by.

用以测量他们的真正目标

My personal experience working with diverse teams

我自己和多元化团队合作的经历

had been that while they require a little bit more effort at the beginning,

是虽然在一开始他们需要一点更多的努力

they did bring fresher, more creative ideas.

他们确实带来了更新颖的、 更有创意的想法

So I wanted to know:

那么我想要知道：

Are diverse organizations really more innovative,

多元化的组织真的更有创意吗

and can diversity be more than something to comply with?

以及多元性可以不仅仅是 一项需要遵守的事情吗？

Can it be a real competitive advantage?

它可以是一个真正的竞争优势吗？

So to find out, we set up a study with the Technical University of Munich.

所以为了找到答案，我们和 慕尼黑工业大学创立了一个研究

We surveyed 171 companies in Germany, Austria and Switzerland,

我们调查了171个在 德国、奥地利、和瑞士的公司

and as we speak, we're expanding the study

而就在演讲进行的同时， 我们正在把研究拓展到

to 1,600 companies

1600个公司

in five additional countries around the world.

在世界上五个额外的国家里

We asked those companies basically two things:

我们询问那些公司基本两件事：

how innovative they are and how diverse they are.

他们多有创意以及他们是怎样的多元化

To measure the first one,

为了测试第一点，

we asked them about innovation revenue.

我们询问他们有关创新收入的问题

Innovation revenue is the share of revenues they've made

创新收入是他们在过去三年里从

from new products and services in the last three years,

新的产品和服务中赚取的股份，

meaning we did not ask them how many creative ideas they have,

也就是说我们没有问， 他们有多少有创意的想法

but rather if these ideas translate into products and services

而是这些想法是否 转化为真的让公司

that really make the company more successful today and tomorrow.

在眼下和未来变得 更成功的产品和服务

To measure diversity, we looked at six different factors:

为了衡量多元性， 我们察看六个不同的因素：

country of origin, age and gender, amongst others.

原国籍，年龄和性别，以及其它

While preparing to go in the field with those questions,

在准备带着那些问题 去实地考察的时候，

I sat down with my team

我和我的团队坐了下来，

and we discussed what we would expect as a result.

然后我们讨论了 我们期待什么样的结果

To put it mildly, we were not optimistic.

婉转来说，我们对此并不感到乐观

The most skeptical person on the team thought, or saw a real possibility,

团队中最持怀疑态度的人认为， 或是看到了一个真正的可能，

that we would find nothing at all.

我们不会发现任何东西

Most of the team was rather on the cautious side,

团队里大多是人 都在谨慎的一边

so we landed all together at "only if,"

所以我们全都决定了“只有当”

meaning that we might find some kind of link

也就是说我们可能会在 革新和多元性之间

between innovation and diversity,

找到某种链接

but not across the board --

但不是在所有情况下——

rather only if certain criteria are met,

而是只有当符合特定的标准是

for example leadership style, very open leadership style

比如领导方式， 非常开放的领导方式

that allowed people to speak up freely and safely and contribute.

允许人们自由并安全地 发言并作出贡献

A couple of months later, the data came in,

几个月以后，数据收集好了

and the results convinced the most skeptical amongst us.

而最终结果说服了我们 之中最持怀疑态度的人

The answer was a clear yes,

答案是一个清楚的肯定，

no ifs, no buts.

没有如果，没有但是

The data in our sample showed

我们样品中的数据显示

that more diverse companies are simply more innovative, period.

更多元化的公司 就是更创新，句号

Now, a fair question to ask is the chicken or the egg question,

现在，一个公平的问题 就是先有鸡还是先有蛋的问题

meaning, are companies really more innovative

也就是，公司更创新真的是

because they have a more diverse leadership,

因为他们有一个更多元化的领导层？

or the other way around?

还是反过来的呢？

Which way is it?

它是什么顺序？

Now, we do not know how much is correlation versus causation,

现在，我们不知道相关性 和因果性的比例是多少

but what we do know is that clearly,

但是我们清楚地知道，

in our sample, companies that are more diverse

在我们的样本里， 更多元化的公司

are more innovative,

更有创造力

and that companies that are more innovative

而更有创造力的公司

have more diverse leadership, too.

同样有更多元化的领导层

So it's fair to assume that it works both ways,

那么我们可以公平地 假设它双向都成立

diversity driving innovation and innovation driving diversity.

多元性导致创新力和 创新力导致多元性

Now, once we published the results,

如今，当我们发表了成果

we were surprised about the reactions in the media.

我们对媒体上的反应感到很惊讶

We got quite some attention.

我们得到了挺多的注意力

And it went from quite factual,

而它从比较如实的

like "Higher Female Share Boosts Innovation"

像是“更高的女性比例推进创新力”

to a little bit more sensationalist.

变得有点耸人听闻

(Laughter)

（笑声）

As you can see,

就像你可以看到的，

"Stay-at-home Women Cost Trillions,"

“呆在家的女人浪费万亿”

and, my personal favorite,

还有，我个人的最爱，

"Housewives Kill Innovation."

“家庭主妇扼杀创新力”

Well, there's no such thing as bad publicity, right?

那么，关注怎么样都不坏，对吗？

(Laughter)

（笑声）

On the back of that coverage,

在新闻报道的背后

we started to get calls from senior executives

我们开始接到来自于 想要知道更多的

wanting to understand more,

高层主管人员的电话

especially -- surprise, surprise -- about gender diversity.

尤其是——惊喜 ——关于性别多元性

I tend to open up those discussions by asking,

我倾向于用提问开始这些讨论

"Well, what do you think of the situation in your organization today?"

“那么，你对于你的团体的现状怎么看呢？”

And a frequent reaction to that is,

而对此的常见反应就是

"Well, we're not yet there, but we're not that bad."

“唔，我们还没到那一步， 但我们不是那么差”

One executive told me, for example,

一位主管告诉我，比如说

"Oh, we're not that bad.

“哦，我们没那么差

We have one member in our board who is a woman."

我们董事会里有一个女性成员”

(Laughter)

（笑声）

And you laugh --

然后你们笑了——

(Applause)

（掌声）

Now, you laugh, but he had a point in being proud about it,

现在，你们笑了，但是 他有道理为此感到骄傲

because in Germany,

因为在德国

if you have a company

如果你有一个公司

and it has one member on the board who is a woman,

而它的董事会上有一个女性成员

you are part of a select group of 30

你就是100个最大的 公共列出的公司中

out of the 100 largest publicly listed companies.

挑选出的30个的一员了

The other 70 companies have an all-male board,

其余的70个公司有全男性的董事会

and not even one of these hundred largest publicly listed companies

而且这些最大的公共列出的名单中甚至没有一个公司

have, as of today, a female CEO.

在今天，有一个女性的首席执行官

But here's the critically important insight.

但是这是最关键的重要见解

Those few female board members alone,

光是那些少数的女性董事会成员

they won't make a difference.

他们不会改变些什么

Our data shows that for gender diversity to have an impact on innovation,

我们的数据显示，为了让 性别多元化在创新力上有影响，

you need to have more than 20 percent women in leadership.

你需要在领导层力 有多于20%的女性

Let's have a look at the numbers.

让我们看一看数据

As you can see, we divided the sample into three groups,

正如你所看到的， 我们把样本分为了三组

and the results are quite dramatic.

而结果是有点戏剧性的

Only in the group where you have more than 20 percent women in leadership,

只有在领导层里有多于 20%的女性的一组里，

only then you see a clear jump in innovation revenue

只有在那时候你看到 创新收入明显地增长

to above-average levels.

至高出平均地水平

So experience and data shows that you do need critical mass

那么经验和数据显示 你确实需要关键的数量

to move the needle,

来作出改变

and companies like Alibaba, JP Morgan or Apple

而像是阿里巴巴，摩根大通， 或是苹果之类的公司

have as of today already achieved that threshold.

都已经在今天达到了那个门槛

Another reaction I got quite a lot was,

另一个我经常收到的反应就是

"Well, it will get solved over time."

“哦，这会随着时间推移被解决的”

And I have all the sympathy in the world for that point of view,

而我对这个观点怀有 世界上所有的同情心

because I used to think like that, too.

因为我曾经也那么想

Now, let's have a look here again and look at the numbers,

那么，让我们再看一看这里 并看一看这些数字

taking Germany as an example.

用德国作为一个例子

Let me first give you the good news.

让我先给你们个好消息

So the share of women who are college graduates

那就是大学毕业生并且

and have at least 10 years of professional experience

有至少十年的专业经验的女性比例

has grown nicely over the last 20 years,

在过去的20年里良好增长

which means the pool in which to fish for female leaders

这意味着可寻觅女性领导者的储备

has increased over time,

随着时间增加了

and that's great.

这很棒

Now, according to my old theory,

现在，根据我过去的理论

the share of women in leadership

领导层的女性比例

would have grown more or less in parallel, right?

会多少平行地增长，对吗？

Now, let's have a look at what happened in reality.

现在，让我们看一下 现实中发生了什么

It's not even close,

一点都不接近

which means I was so wrong

意味着我是错的

and which means that my generation,

也意味着我的同代人

your generation,

你们的同代人

the best-educated female generation in history,

历史上受到最好教育的一代女性

we have just not made it.

我们就是没有做到

We have failed to achieve leadership in significant numbers.

我们没能有很多数量达到领导层

Education just did not translate into leadership.

教育就是没有转化成领导力

Now, that was a painful realization for me

那么，这对我是一个痛苦的认知

and made me realize,

并且让我意识到

if we want to change this,

如果我们想要改变这个

we need to engage, and we need to do better.

我们需要参与， 而且我们需要做得更好

Now, what to do?

那么，做什么呢？

Achieving more than 20 percent women in leadership

在领导层里达到多于20%的女性

seems like a daunting task to many,

对很多人听起来是 一个望而却步的任务

understandably, given the track record.

这可以理解，有了历史记录之后

But it's doable,

但这是可行的

and there are many companies today that are making progress there

而且今天有很多公司在取得进展

and doing it successfully.

并且成功地做到它

Let's take SAP, the software company, as an example.

让我们用SAP，软件公司， 作为一个例子

They had, in 2011, 19 percent women in leadership,

2011年，他们在领导层里有19%的女性

yet they decided to do better,

然而他们决定做得更好

and they did what you do in any other area of business

而他们做了你们在 任何想要改善的

where you want to improve.

其它商业领域里做的事

They set themselves a measurable target.

他们给他们自己 定下了一个可测量的目标

So they set themselves a target of 25 percent for 2017,

那么他们给自己定下了 在2017年达到25%的目标

which they have just achieved.

他们刚刚达到这点

The goals made them think more creatively about developing leaders

目标让他们更有创意地 思考发展领导者

and tapping new recruiting pools.

并利用新的招聘储备

They now even set a target of 30 percent women in leadership for 2022.

他们现在甚至给2022年 设了领导层有30%女性的目标

So experience shows it's doable,

那么经验显示这是可行的

and at the end of the day,

而最终

it all boils down to two decisions that are taken every day

它全部浓缩为我们许多人在每个组织

in every organization by many of us:

日常作出的两个决定：

who to hire and who to develop and promote.

招聘什么人和发展并提升什么人

Now, nothing against women's programs,

现在，我并不反对女性项目

networks, mentoring, trainings.

关系网，指导，培训

All is good.

这都是好的

But it is these two decisions

但是就是这两个决定

that at the end of the day send the most powerful change signal

最终在任何组织中传递了

in any organization.

最有力的改变信号

Now, I never set out to be a diversity advocate.

现在，我从不是有意 想成为一个多元性拥护者

I am a business advisor.

我是一个商业顾问

But now my goal is to change the face of leadership,

但是现在我的目标是 改变领导层的外貌

to make it more diverse --

把它变得更多元化——

and not so that leaders can check a box

而且这并不是为了让 领导者可以在方框里打个勾

and feel like they have complied with something

并感到他们遵守了某件事

or they have been politically correct.

或是他们是政治正确的

But because they understand,

而是因为他们理解

they understand that diversity is making their organization

他们明白多元性正在让他们的团体

more innovative, better.

更创新，更好

And by embracing diversity, by embracing diverse talent,

而通过迎接多元性， 通过迎接多元的才能

we are providing true opportunity for everyone.

我们正在给每个人提供真正的机会

Thank you. Thank you so much.

谢谢你们，真的非常感谢

(Applause)

（掌声）