On the Job by Anita Bruzzese Why You Dont Want A Mini-Me

On the Job by Anita Bruzzese Why You Don't Want A Mini-Me Admit it: You would rather work with people who are pretty muchjust like you. Its human nature to feel more comfortable with people who share common traits, habits or values. But there is real danger in surrounding yourself with a bunch of mini-mes. Research shows that homogeneity can lead to individuals underestimating the actualcomplexity of tasksfacing a group because they assume that others behavior is more predictable than it actually is, says Evan Apfelbaum, the W. Maurice YoungCareer Development Professor of Management andan assistant professor of organization studies at the MIT Sloan School of Management. Why? Apfelbaum explains that those in homogenous groups tend to believe that because others look like them, they are like them in terms of having similar perspectives, knowledge and behavior. This assumption of like-mindedness feels comfortable; it caters to our basic human need for social acceptance and inclusion. But it also createsblind spots in our judgmentsand behavior, he says. We underestimate the potential for seemingly similar others to have substantively different perspectives and ideas, which can lead us to make oversimplified, perhaps even, objectively inaccurate, assessments in these contexts. A Harvard University study further underscores the problem of collaborating with those who have similar backgrounds. Specifically, researchers found that venture capitalists tended (read more here)