In game theory, cooperation produces the optimal solution to the prisoner’s dilemma. In evolutionary theory, it’s how genes help define genomes. In social theory, it’s how hunter-gatherer societies evolve into nation states. Cooperation is the fundamental principle that shapes humans and human society. And humans cooperate for one simple reason: There is strength — and value — in numbers.
Yet, most companies view advancing diversity and inclusion as a solo challenge. I believe this is because diversity as a “business” advantage sounds a lot like diversity as a “competitive” advantage. This, of course, is true. But when it comes to diversity and inclusion, cooperation gets all of us a lot further than competition ever can.
In cooperative situations, the cooperator often pays a cost to allow another to benefit. However, when the thing we’re cooperating on is diversity, the collective benefits for our companies, employees and communities far outweigh the “costs” of any resources we expend individually. After all, no one company has all the answers, and no one company faces all the challenges or realizes all the opportunities. For all of us, surviving and thriving demands cooperation among people — and organizations — with diverse outlooks, core capabilities and resources.
Read the full article @ The Huffington Post
