The power of learning to work in harmony with diverse teams

In the world of public school gifted education, IQ test scores work as a gatekeeper. This is measured by a standardized test that is not without bias. Those who score at or above a certain percentile are welcomed into the club and those who score below are excluded. With such high-stakes testing in use, it’s understandable that parents might come to view IQ scores as a predictor of success. But to quote sociologist William Bruce Cameron, “Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts.”

Author Malcom Gladwell talks about the threshold effect – the idea that the benefit or advantage offered by something levels out a certain point. Take basketball, for example. Height is a benefit for players, but at a certain point, height alone fails to account for achievement  – think about Number 5 ranked NBA player Stephen Curry who is 1.88-metres tall versus Boban Marjanović who is 2.24 metres yet ranked Number 73.

When it comes to career achievement, this same threshold effect holds for IQ. Being smart (to use the colloquial term) positions our child well on the road to achievement but smarts alone is not going to get many of them where they want to go.

One of the most important skills students need to develop to be successful is the ability to work collaboratively with diverse teams. We know that diverse teams typically outperform homogenous teams but it’s human nature that we gravitate to people who have similar experiences and may think like us. There’s also an additional challenge because very bright students sometimes push back against group work if they feel (right or wrongly) held back. When students see the goal simply as getting the work done as quickly as possible, or achieving a high grade at all costs, then working as part of a diverse team may feel counterintuitive.

If we want our students to be set up for success, then we need to help them see the value of stepping outside their comfort zone and embrace learning with those who think differently or bring different perspectives and experiences.  Diverse teams push the thinking of each individual team member further, so they ideate with more creativity and foster better communication and problem-solving skills. 

The next time you see your child gravitating to what’s comfortable, challenge them to expand their horizons and their team. Remind them of the proverb: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” And above all, trust that the skills they learn now will pay dividends in the future. 

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