Author says diversity key to growth, innovation

A best-selling author contends communities that welcome people of different backgrounds and cultures are more likely to grow and flourish.

Fran Johannson, author of “The Medici Effect,” will be the initial speaker April 8 for the Diversity Focus SHIFT speaker series, “Driving Diversity as a Vehicle for Success.”

Johannson said his book describes what occurred in Florence, Italy, when the Medici family used its wealth to bring people of diverse backgrounds and knowledge to the city.

“The Medici family sponsored people from lots of different disciplines - architects, painters, sculptors, philosophers, scientists - from all over Europe and brought them all together in Florence,” Johannson said. “It was through their interactions that Florence essentially became the epicenter of one of the most creative eras in Europe's history, the Renaissance.

“The essence of the book is that we have the best chance of developing groundbreaking ideas at the intersection of different industries and fields, cultures and genders.”

Johannson, who was raised in Sweden, moved to the United States and earned a bachelor of science in environmental science from Brown University and a masters in business administration from the Harvard Business School. He said encouraging diversity in a community will provide a different perspective on a challenge or opportunity.

“People can look at exactly the same thing and have different points of view,” he said. “If everyone has the same point of view, it will help with the execution, but you won't get any new ideas from that.

“People with different backgrounds and cultures bring new ideas to the table. That's how communities become innovative and prosper.”

Johannson said communities will embrace the power of diversity if they can be shown examples of how it works. He said sometimes it requires showing how existing diversity in a community has paid dividends.

“If you can experience change, you will start to change,” he said. “Any movement - by definition - is contagious because people are social creatures and they will tend to follow along.”

Additional speakers planned for the Diversity Focus SHIFT series include:

• Carlos Gutierrez, former U.S. Commerce Secretary and the youngest chief executive officer in the history of the Kellogg Co., who will speak on June 17.

• Bill Proudman, founding partner and chief operating officer of White Men as Full Diversity Partners, who will speak on Nov. 4.

Each of the SHIFT events will be held from 11:30 to 1 p.m. at the Kirkwood Continuing Education Center, 7701 Kirkwood Blvd. SW. Cost is $50, which includes lunch. Register at www.diversityfocus.org/shift